A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Meditation on Empathy, Compassion, and Prosocial Behaviors.
Author: Luberto CM1,2, Shinday N3, Song R4, Philpotts LL5, Park ER1,2, Fricchione GL1,2, Yeh GY3
Affiliation:
1Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA, USA, 02114.
2Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 151 Merrimac St, Boston, MA, USA, 02114.
3Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, 1309 Brookline Avenue, Boston MA, USA, 02445.
4Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea, 6 Munwha 1-Dong, Jung-Gu, Dae Jeon, 301-747.
5Treadwell Library, Massachusetts General Hospital, 125 Nashua Street, Boston, MA, USA, 02114.
Conference/Journal: Mindfulness (N Y).
Date published: 2018 Jun
Other:
Volume ID: 9 , Issue ID: 3 , Pages: 708-724 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1007/s12671-017-0841-8. Epub 2017 Oct 23. , Word Count: 236
Increased attention has focused on methods to increase empathy, compassion, and pro-social behavior. Meditation practices have traditionally been used to cultivate pro-social outcomes, and recently investigations have sought to evaluate their efficacy for these outcomes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of meditation for pro-social emotions and behavior. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane databases (inception-April 2016) using the search terms: mindfulness, meditation, mind-body therapies, tai chi, yoga, MBSR, MBCT, empathy, compassion, love, altruism, sympathy, or kindness. Randomized controlled trials in any population were included (26 studies with 1,714 subjects). Most were conducted among healthy adults (n=11) using compassion or loving kindness meditation (n=18) over 8-12weeks (n=12) in a group format (n=17). Most control groups were wait-list or no-treatment (n=15). Outcome measures included self-reported emotions (e.g., composite scores, validated measures) and observed behavioral outcomes (e.g., helping behavior in real-world and simulated settings). Many studies showed a low risk of bias. Results demonstrated small to medium effects of meditation on self-reported (SMD = .40, p < .001) and observable outcomes (SMD = .45, p < .001) and suggest psychosocial and neurophysiological mechanisms of action. Subgroup analyses also supported small to medium effects of meditation even when compared to active control groups. Clinicians and meditation teachers should be aware that meditation can improve positive pro-social emotions and behaviors.
KEYWORDS: compassion; empathy; meditation; mindfulness; pro-social
PMID: 30100929 PMCID: PMC6081743 [Available on 2019-06-01] DOI: 10.1007/s12671-017-0841-8
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