Mindfulness, Compassion, and Prosocial Behaviour
Routledge eBooks April 28, 2017 DOI: 10.4324/9781315627700-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Mindfulness compassion training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 46 |
| Key findings | The chapter reviews evidence that mindfulness and related meditation techniques may affect compassion and prosocial behavior, noting that neural effects of compassion training predicted increased altruistic behavior in an economic transaction. It argues that mechanisms proposed to explain mindfulness's cognitive and emotional benefits may be relevant to interpersonal behavior and helping, and raises questions about whether such mechanisms could counteract social pressures that reduce helping in bystander contexts. |
Abstract
This chapter reviews the scientific research investigating the impact of mindfulness and related meditation techniques on compassion and prosocial behaviour. Of greatest interest, the neural effects of compassion training predicted increased altruistic behaviour in an economic transaction. Many studies have examined the impact of mindfulness, loving-kindness, or compassion training on self-reported compassion and social connection. A number of studies have employed behavioural measures to indirectly assess compassion and prosocial action resulting from mindfulness training. The review of mindfulness mechanisms raises questions about how they could help overcome social pressures that typically reduce helping in bystander contexts. Classic social psychological theory and research postulated a number of processes that interfere with helping in bystander contexts, which could be modulated by mindfulness-based mechanisms. A number of factors have been conceptualized as mechanisms that explain how mindfulness produces various cognitive and emotional benefits, many of which may be relevant to interpersonal behaviours and one’s readiness to help others in need.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Mindfulness increases prosocial responses toward ostracized strangers through empathic concern. Journal of Experimental Psychology General 2018
- The relational dimension in mindfulness intervention effects: results of a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth May 10, 2025
- Meditation and Emotion The Oxford Handbook of Meditation October 4, 2019
- Higher mindfulness and lower self-absorption predict greater compassion within romantic relationships. Communications Psychology June 6, 2026
- How a Process-Based Idionomic Approach Changes our Understanding of Mindfulness as a Method and Process PsyArXiv February 19, 2024
and 2 more in the library