Meditation in context: factors that facilitate prosocial behavior.
Current Opinion in Psychology August 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.09.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that meditation is a viable approach to increasing prosocial behavior, but that its effects depend on ethical and relational contexts drawn from Buddhist traditions. Contends that future research must holistically examine the contemplative contexts that foster prosocial outcomes, since questions remain about the mechanisms and conditions under which meditation does or does not increase prosocial behavior. |
Abstract
Contemplative science experienced tremendous growth in the past five years in part through new attention to the social processes and prosocial outcomes associated with meditation. Despite this growth, questions persist about the mechanisms and contexts through which meditation increases or fails to increase prosocial behavior. In this article, I draw on Buddhist traditions and empirical efforts to understand the ethical and relational contexts that promote prosocial behavior. In summary, meditation promises a viable approach to increase prosocial behavior, but future research will require a careful, holistic examination of contemplative contexts that foster those outcomes.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 23
- A neurophenomenological approach to non-ordinary states of consciousness: hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics Trends in Cognitive Sciences December 22, 2022
- Short-Term Training in Mindfulness Predicts Helping Behavior Toward Racial Ingroup and Outgroup Members Social Psychological and Personality Science November 18, 2021
- Mindfulness training reduces slippery slope effects in moral decision-making and moral judgment Scientific Reports February 20, 2023
- Fruits of the Buddhism-science dialogue in contemplative research. Current Opinion in Psychology August 1, 2019
- Classic Psychedelics and Human–Animal Relations International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health July 1, 2022
and 18 more in the library
Cites 16
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- Promoting prosocial behavior and self-regulatory skills in preschool children through a mindfulness-based kindness curriculum. Developmental Psychology November 10, 2014
- Mindfulness and Compassion: An Examination of Mechanism and Scalability PLoS One February 17, 2015
- Attachment Theory and Concern for Others'Welfare: Evidence That Activation of the Sense of Secure Base Promotes Endorsement of Self-Transcendence Values Basic and Applied Social Psychology December 1, 2003
and 11 more in the library