Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a Buddhist meditation intervention on empathy, perceived stress,
mindfulness, self-compassion, and of particular interest, the dispositional tendency to feel empathic concern rather than
personal distress when perceiving another as in need, termed altruistic orientation. Participants were randomly assigned to
an intervention group (n = 20) or a waiting list control group (n = 22). Results indicated a trend towards increases in altruistic orientation in the intervention group—an increase that significantly
correlated with meditation time, decreases in perceived stress, and increases in self-compassion and mindfulness. Additionally,
compared to the controls, significant increases in mindfulness and self-compassion and a significant decrease in perceived
stress were obtained for the intervention group.
mindfulness, self-compassion, and of particular interest, the dispositional tendency to feel empathic concern rather than
personal distress when perceiving another as in need, termed altruistic orientation. Participants were randomly assigned to
an intervention group (n = 20) or a waiting list control group (n = 22). Results indicated a trend towards increases in altruistic orientation in the intervention group—an increase that significantly
correlated with meditation time, decreases in perceived stress, and increases in self-compassion and mindfulness. Additionally,
compared to the controls, significant increases in mindfulness and self-compassion and a significant decrease in perceived
stress were obtained for the intervention group.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category ORIGINAL PAPER
- Pages 1-12
- DOI 10.1007/s12671-012-0115-4
- Authors
- Erik Wallmark, Department of Psychology, Lund University, P.O. Box 213, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
- Kousha Safarzadeh, Department of Psychology, Lund University, P.O. Box 213, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
- Daiva Daukantaitė, Department of Psychology, Lund University, P.O. Box 213, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
- Rachel E. Maddux, Department of Psychology, Lund University, P.O. Box 213, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
- Journal Mindfulness
- Online ISSN 1868-8535
- Print ISSN 1868-8527