Intensive meditation training influences emotional responses to suffering.
Erika L Rosenberg, Anthony P Zanesco, Brandon G King, Stephen R Aichele, Tonya L Jacobs, David A Bridwell, Katherine A Maclean, Phillip R Shaver, Emilio Ferrer, Baljinder K Sahdra, Shiri Lavy, B Alan Wallace, Clifford D Saron
Emotion (Washington, D.C.) December 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000080 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThree months of intensive meditation training—daily practice in attention and compassion techniques—alters emotional responses to human suffering. In a randomized trial, 60 participants were assigned to either a meditation retreat or a wait-list control. At post-training, those who meditated showed more facial expressions of sadness and fewer expressions of anger, contempt, and disgust when viewing film scenes of suffering, compared to controls. Self-reported sympathy, but not sadness or distress, predicted these sad expressions and reduced rejection emotions in the training group. The results suggest that intensive meditation fosters enhanced sympathetic concern for others and reduced aversion to their suffering.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Adults participating in a 3-month intensive meditation retreat or wait-list control |
| Intervention | Meditation training |
| Duration | 3-month intervention |
| Keywords | Meditation training Mindfulness practice Contemplative training Retreat experience Attention training |
| Citations | 77 |
| Key finding | Intensive meditation training increased facial displays of sadness and decreased displays of rejection emotions (anger, contempt, disgust) in response to scenes of human suffering. |
Abstract
Meditation practices purportedly help people develop focused and sustained attention, cultivate feelings of compassionate concern for self and others, and strengthen motivation to help others who are in need. We examined the impact of 3 months of intensive meditative training on emotional responses to scenes of human suffering. Sixty participants were assigned randomly to either a 3-month intensive meditation retreat or a wait-list control group. Training consisted of daily practice in techniques designed to improve attention and enhance compassionate regard for others. Participants viewed film scenes depicting human suffering at pre- and posttraining laboratory assessments, during which both facial and subjective measures of emotion were collected. At post-assessment, training group participants were more likely than controls to show facial displays of sadness. Trainees also showed fewer facial displays of rejection emotions (anger, contempt, disgust). The groups did not differ on the likelihood or frequency of showing these emotions prior to training. Self-reported sympathy--but not sadness or distress--predicted sad behavior and inversely predicted displays of rejection emotions in trainees only. These results suggest that intensive meditation training encourages emotional responses to suffering characterized by enhanced sympathetic concern for, and reduced aversion to, the suffering of others.