Does meditative creative writing foster empathy? The impact of a mindfulness meditation and creative writing intervention on empathy: a mixed methods study
Gülcan Garip, Salamis Aysegul Sentug-Tugyan
Journal of Poetry Therapy October 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/08893675.2026.2752190 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | Adults aged 21–47 living in Cyprus (11 female, 3 male) |
| Interventions | Creative writing Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | Half-day intervention |
| Measures | Basic Empathy Scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Self-reported empathy on the Basic Empathy Scale increased by an average of 3.93 points (SD = 3.36) after a half-day creative writing and mindfulness meditation intervention, a statistically significant change. The authors suggest the intervention is positively associated with empathy and could be adapted for empathy-enhancing initiatives. |
Abstract
Creative writing and mindfulness meditation have separately been found to enhance empathy. This study investigates the impact of an intensive half-day intervention that combined creative writing and mindfulness meditation to evaluate changes in self-reported empathy. Fourteen participants (11 female, 3 male), ages from 21 to 47 (x = 27 [SD = 7.82]) living in Cyprus, took part in the intervention. Pre and post-intervention surveys using the Basic Empathy Scale were used to evaluate changes in participants’ empathy scores. Based on paired samples t-test, a mean improvement of 3.93 (SD = 3.36) points on the Basic Empathy Scale were found, suggesting taking part in a creative writing and mindfulness meditation intervention was positively associated with empathy, t(13) = 3.68, p < .05. The stories resulting were analysed using a qualitative content analysis to identify thematic groups. The intervention combining mindfulness meditation and creative writing sessions can be adapted to positively contribute to empathy-enhancing initiatives for more harmonious societies.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |