Frequency | Repeated | Repetition Duration | Duration | Modality | Video/Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes |
Loving-Kindness Meditation
Participants listen to an audio recorded, guided reflection on their feelings of connection, support, love, and kindness towards other people, often extending benevolent sentiments to others in a sequence from close loved ones to friends to acquaintances to strangers or even adversaries. A kind of mindfulness practice, loving kindness meditation focuses on developing a mindset of common humanity, trust, friendliness, and generosity.
Reasoning
Loving-kindness meditation can benefit well-being in part by promoting a calm and reflective state, and also by increasing how similar and connected people feel to others—from loved ones, to acquaintances, to strangers. Research suggests that when people practice loving-kindness meditation regularly, they feel more socially connected, have a stronger sense of belonging, and make more positive appriasals and attributions about others.. Loving-kindness meditation has also been shown to increase positive emotional experience and reduce self-focus
Procedure
Participants listen to an audio guided loving kindness themed meditation The loving kindness meditation typically begins by instructing participants to find a comfortable position and direct their awareness to a part of their body, such as their breath or belly, and to notice ongoing physical sensationsParticipants are then instructed to bring to mind someone who they believe has their best interest at heart,as if they were seated in front of them. Then, participants are asked to imagine that person across from them, truly wishing them to be happy and fulfilled, and take in that wish of well-being from the other person. Then, participants are instructed to stop envisioning this person, and simply relax into sensations of warmth and goodness in their physical body. Next, participants may be asked to bring to mind a sequence of people, from close loved ones to acquaintances to strangers and . without thinking of too many stories or thoughts about any one person, instructed to genuinely extend good will to each person. Participants may be instructed to consider this well-wishing intention while they inhale, and wish the other person’s happiness while they exhale. Participants may do this a number of times, depending on the length of the guided audio meditation. Participants may be instructed to recite phrases in their minds like “May you be well, happy, and peaceful; May you be safe and protected; May you be free from suffering”. To conclude the meditation, participants are instructed to release the image of the other person and again,notice sensations in their own body.
Primary Citation & Study Summary:
Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1045-1062.
People who practiced Loving-Kindness Meditation daily for seven weeks reported a steady increase in their daily experience of positive emotions, such as joy, gratitude, contentment, hope, and love. They also reported greater life satisfaction and lower depressive symptoms following the intervention, compared to when they started. People who were on a waitlist to learn the practice did not report these benefits.
More Evidence
He, X., Shi, W., Han, X., Wang, N., Zhang, N., & Wang, X. (2015). The interventional effects of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions and interpersonal interactions. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 11, 5.
Noh, S. & Cho, H. (2020). Psychological and physiological effects of the mindful lovingkindess compassion program on highly self-critical university students in South Korea. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2628.