A Randomized Controlled Trial of Compassion Cultivation Training: Effects on Mindfulness, Affect, and Emotion Regulation By Hooria Jazaieri, Kelly McGonigal -Researchers at Stanford University -Published in Motivation and Emotion The authors had the stated aim of filling in gaps in research regarding the effects of mindfulness on individuals. This suggests that any finding not favorable to their agenda would not be published. A Publication Bias. This article, beyond being a means of fantastic working definitions for my proposal, is also my second article that is the summary of a study performed by the authors. This one as well as the first uses self evaluation to determine positive or negative correlation. “Compassion is a positive orientation towards suffering that may be enhanced through compassion training and is thought to influence psychological functioning. However, the effects of compassion training on mindfulness, affect, and emotion regulation are not known. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which 100 adults from the community were randomly assigned to either a 9-week compassion cultivation training (CCT) or a waitlist (WL) control condition” “Compassion may be defined as a complex multidimensional construct that is comprised of four key components: (1) an awareness of suffering (cognitive component), (2) sympathetic concern related to being emotionally moved by suffering (affective component), (3) a wish to see the relief of that suffering (intentional component), and (4) a responsiveness or readiness to help relieve that suffering (motivational component)” “There was no effect of CCT on cognitive reappraisal frequency and self-efficacy. Cognitive reappraisal is usually implemented via modifying the meaning of a situation to reduce one’s own emotional reactivity. In CCT, the focus is on identifying suffering and its causes in others and not on one’s own reactivity to other’s suffering. Thus, the goal is not to change one’s experience via re-interpretation as is typically done with cognitive reappraisal. In sum, the findings from our study suggest that CCT influences emotion regulation processes by reducing emotional suppression by encouraging individuals to experience emotions without judgment, inhibition, blocking, or distracting.” This source allows me to make the argument, based on empirical evidence, that compassion cultivation training (cct) a technique entirely inspired and rooted in mindfulness practices and Metta have beneficial consequences to those who practice.

Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies By Shian-Ling Keng, Moria J. Smoski, and Clive J. Robbins -Published in the journal, Clinical Psychology Review -Researchers in the Department of Neuroscience and Psychology at Duke University. In this article there seems to be minimal bias other than an interest in the topic that might lead to a publication bias. Another article that provides useful definitions and comparisons going forward, as well as a brief background of the history of western interpretation of the Buddhist traditions and a thoughtful conclusion on how to proceed. This article is also, as the title plainly states, another source for empirical evidence of the benefits of mindfulness, reviewing studies that used three methods of evaluation, self-assessment, neuro-imaging, and what they authors call “Intervention research. This article seems the most promising thus far. “We begin with a discussion of the construct of mindfulness, differences between Buddhist and Western psychological conceptualizations of mindfulness, and how mindfulness has been integrated into Western medicine and psychology, before reviewing three areas of empirical research: cross-sectional, correlational research on the associations between mindfulness and various indicators of psychological health; intervention research on the effects of mindfulness-oriented interventions on psychological health; and laboratory-based, experimental research on the immediate effects of mindfulness inductions on emotional and behavioral functioning. We conclude that mindfulness brings about various positive psychological effects, including increased subjective well-being, reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved behavioral regulation. The review ends with a discussion on mechanisms of change of mindfulness interventions and suggested directions for future research.” “Though promoted for centuries as a part of Buddhist and other spiritual traditions, the application of mindfulness to psychological health in Western medical and mental health contexts is a more recent phenomenon, largely beginning in the 1970s…” “Arguably, Buddhist and Western conceptualizations of mindfulness differ in at least three levels: contextual, process, and content…” “These studies found that extensive mindfulness meditation experience is associated with increased thickness in brain regions implicated in attention, interoception, and sensory processing, including the prefrontal cortex…” This source allows me to argue that beyond positive benefits shown through self-assessment tests on happiness and well being, there exists physical evidence in the brain, discovered through neuroimaging, that mindfulness practices improve cognitive and emotional function.

Compassion Meditators Show Less Anger, Less Punishment, and More Compensation of Victims In Response to Fairness Violations By, Cade McCall, Nikolaus Steinbeis, Tania Singer, and Matthieu Ricard -Published in Frontiers In Behavioral Neuroscience -Matthieu Ricard, the so called “Happiest Man in the World” contributed, his reputation as practitioner and teacher of mindfulness and meditation is almost without equal. -Tania Singer is equally recognizable and is Director of the Department of Social Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. -In terms of bias, this article was probably unlikely to see the light of day if the outcomes weren’t what they were (positive). Another important “Yes” source, this article demonstrates that those who practice mindfulness/meditation and compassion training (which is inseparable from many teachings) act with less negative intent in social interactions involving “fairness violations”. What is important about this article is that while the long term practitioners responded to fairness violations without bitterness or contempt, they were just as likely to enforce the right corrective actions and punishment in order to maintain a healthy social paradigm. This suggests that a student of mindfulness and compassion training does not lose touch with the reality of sticky social exchanges but instead is able to maintain compassion at a distance, a healthy relationship to negative social interactions. As well the LTPs were able to forgive the what were the problem players in the many variations of the Dictator and Prisoners Dilemma games that were the focus of the study. Often these games run off the rails in a negative spiral of retribution and punishment when players get angry and stubborn towards each other and this was not the case with the LTPs. Its easy for an outsider to see that everyone loses when the cool heads don’t prevail in such interactions and that coolheadedness is just what is on display from LTPs. “Together, our results indicate that training feelings of compassion may alter behavioral responses to fairness violations through reducing these concomitant negative emotions experienced when responding directly to unfairness, while still supporting the motivation to minimize inequity “, In other words, keeping what is desirable (supporting the motivation to minimize inequity) and ditching the negative and often destructive emotions attached to distributing punishment for offenders.

Why Meditate? Podcast By Sam Harris With Joseph Goldstein -Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, best selling author and public intellectual -Joseph Goldstein is a life long student of meditation and mindfulness practices and founder of Insight Meditation Society Biases are limited in this discussion, it is in A.M.A. format so the questions were crowdsourced and the answers are insightful and candid. This was one of the podcasts between these two individuals that began my interest in meditation and its possibilities, it seems like a reasonable source to use in my introduction As the title suggests it addresses the listeners and directly suggests motives to start a personal practice in meditation and mindfulness “If you want to understand you mind, then sit down and observe it” “Before people begin some kind of introspection or meditative discipline, mostly we’re just lost in and acting out whatever particular thought patterns and emotions are there. With meditation and mindfulness we’re observing the fact that they are there and that gives s space and the possibility within that space not to be carried away by them Distinguishes between skilled and unskilled emotions, terms that will hold some significance in my paper. Recognizing that we are in the throes of “unskilled” emotions (anger, jealousy, retributive) allows us to notice them and separate ourselves from them. On the other hand noticing that we are feeling useful and beneficial or “skilled” emotions allows us to notice and cultivate them. This source provides a less empirical and more personal and experience based insights into the practice through the lenses of two skilled practitioners.