Ever had a boss berate you for showing up late to work on the day your dog died? How about a brother who refused to attend your aunt’s funeral because it was the same day as a Steelers game?
We all know a few people who could use some intensive training when it comes to compassion – but instead of sending them off to expensive psychotherapy, your best bet might be to buy them some meditation mats and books on Buddhist mantras: According to a recent study, the act of meditation may help people learn how to be kinder and more compassionate to their fellow human beings.
In the study, researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Waisman Center for Brain Imaging scanned the brain waves of a group of Tibetan monks and other people who practiced meditation, as well as a group who were not experienced in meditation practices. While reading each subject’s brain waves, the researchers played a variety of recorded noises, including a woman’s scream and a baby’s laughter. A region of the brain called the insula, which is associated with the sensation of emotion, was far more active in the meditators’ brain scans than the non-meditators. The meditation experts’ brains also showed more activity in the right temporal-parietal juncture, which is associated with empathy.