Kindness and Compassion Benefit Your Brain

Kindness, “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate”. Compassion, “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others”.

Research shows that practicing kindness and compassion makes positive changes in our brains!

In a 2013 study (Leung, M.K. et al.), the researchers studied brain activity in people who practice loving-kindness meditations (LKM). The results suggest that LKM increases grey matter volume in the part of the brain that is associated with affective regulation.

In another study (Lee, T.M. et al., 2012), the results suggested that LKM practice is associated with activity in emotion processing regions, which may result in better emotional regulation.

Research studies on compassion training (Klimecki, O.M. et al 2014) indicated that it increases activities in parts of the brain involved in emotional regulation, mood regulation, decision-making, and helps overcome empathic distress and strengthens resilience.

Equally important - being kind and compassionate to yourself!

Research suggests that self-compassion may serve as a protective factor against stress-induced inflammation and inflammation-related diseases (Breines, J. G. et al. 2014). Treat your body well by eating healthy and exercising, practicing mindfulness, and doing other things that make you feel good about yourself. If you’re kind and compassionate to yourself, it’ll be easier to have the same attitude toward others.