Meditation May Make You More Empathic
October 28th, 2009 By: Brittany
I think that the greatest part of continuing a meditation practice is the fact that it changes how to interact with people. Empathy is not something this is common in today’s society. Meditation does make you more in tune with others and your self. General it raises you awareness and this is why you may feel the emotion of empathy. This is good research!
Previous brain studies have shown that when a person witnesses someone else in an emotional state—such as disgust or pain—similar activity is seen in both people’s brains. This shows a physiological base for empathy, defined as the ability to understand and share another person’s experience. Now research at the University of Wisconsin has used advanced brain images (fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging) to show that compassion meditation—a specific form of Buddhist meditation—may increase the human capacity for empathy.
In the study, researchers compared brain activity in meditation experts with that of subjects just learning the technique (16 in each group). They measured brain activity, during meditation and at rest, in response to sounds—a woman in distress, a baby laughing, and a busy restaurant—designed to evoke a negative, positive, or neutral emotional response.
The researchers found that both the novice and the expert meditators showed an increased empathy reaction when in a meditative state. However, the expert meditators showed a much greater reaction, especially to the negative sound, which may indicate a greater capacity for empathy as a result of their extensive meditation training.
An increased capacity for empathy, the authors say, may have clinical and social importance. The next step, they add, is to investigate whether compassion meditation results in more altruistic behavior or other changes in social interaction.
Source: Lutz A, Brefczynski-Lewis J, Johnstone T, et al. Regulation of the neural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: effects of meditative expertise. PLoS ONE [online journal], March 2008. Accessed on May 28, 2008.
About The Author
Brittany I am a intuitive life coach, health coach and meditation teacher. My goal is to help people find some inner peace during times of stress and worry. I have a passion for assisting those with anxiety, stress, health and nutrition. I believe we are made of mind, body, and soul and it is of much importance to keep good health in each one of these areas.
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