Empathy, Compassionate Altruism and Psychological Well-Being in Contemplative Practitioners across Five Traditions
Lynn E. O’Connor, Rachna K. Rangan, Jack W. Berry, David J. Stiver, H Rick, Winfred Ark, Toni Li
Psychology 2015 DOI: 10.4236/psych.2015.68096 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,859 |
| Population | 2,409 contemplative practitioners from five meditation traditions and 450 non-meditators, surveyed online and anonymously |
| Citations | 24 |
| Key findings | Meditators reported lower depression, neuroticism, empathic distress, and empathy-based guilt and higher empathy, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, resilience, and compassionate altruism toward strangers than non-meditators. Across traditions, greater practice intensity and duration predicted positive outcomes, and practitioners whose goal was benefiting others rather than the self reported lower depression, empathic distress, and neuroticism and higher cognitive empathy, resilience, and altruism toward strangers. Religion-based practitioners reported lower guilt, empathic distress, depression, and neuroticism and higher conscientiousness, resilience, and altruism than secular meditators. |
Abstract
In an online anonymous study we compared 2409 contemplative practitioners to 450 non-meditators on measures of psychological functioning. The meditators followed five traditions: Tibetan and Theravada Buddhism, Centering Prayer, Yoga and Mindfulness. Meditators were lower in depression, neuroticism, empathic distress, and types of empathy-based guilt, and higher in empathy (cognitive and emotional), agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, resilience, and compassionate altruism towards strangers. Comparing traditions found Tibetans and Centering Prayer higher in altruism towards strangers and Centering Prayer lower in neuroticism. In all traditions, intensity and duration of practice predicted positive outcomes. Meditators whose goal was benefit to others, compared to those whose goal was benefit to the self, were lower in depression, empathic distress, and neuroticism, and higher in cognitive empathy, resilience, and altruism towards strangers. Religion-based practitioners were lower in guilt, empathic distress, depression and neuroticism, and higher in conscientiousness, resilience, and altruism towards others compared secular meditators.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Effect of a mindfulness program on stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, social support, and life satisfaction: a quasi-experimental study in college students. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Centering and counselor empathy: Examining the moderating effects of nondual awareness Journal of Counseling & Development June 17, 2024
- Religiosity and Meditation Practice: Exploring Their Explanatory Power on Psychological Adjustment. Frontiers in Psychology 2019
Cites 15
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise PLoS One March 25, 2008
and 10 more in the library