Dwelling on Loving-Kindness Increases Social Connection, Offsets Societal Changes Which Create Growing Distrust - Stanford Study

6. March 2009 by John Schinnerer.

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive Psychologist, Author, Entrepreneur

A study out of Stanford University reported in the journal Emotion (Vol. 8, No. 5, 2008) that seven minutes of meditation on the Buddhist notion of loving-kindness can increase one’s feelings of interconnectedness.

Roy Baumeister showed that connection with other people, to trust and be trusted, is a fundamental need of human beings (Baumeister and Leary, 1995). The feeling of interconnectedness, that feeling of shared humanity, improves physical, mental and emotional health. It also ups the degree to which we feel empathy for others. It also increases the frequency with which people act in a trusting and compassionate manner. And all of these lend themselves to a positive, socially constructive upward spiral of thought, emotion and action. 

The study, by Hutcherson, Seppala and Gross, found that the simple act of focusing one’s attention for 7 minutes on the feeling of love between oneself and a loved one has some amazing benefits…

It increases feelings of social connection.

It increases one’s frequency and intensity of positive emotions experienced.

It  increased feelings of positivity towards strangers.

And it did so on conscious and unconscious levels of awareness.

Thus, loving-kindness meditation is simple and inexpensive method to increase positive social emotions, such as compassion and thoughtfulness, and reduce alienation.

Take a look at the study at http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~psyphy/pdfs/Hutcherson_08_2.pdf. 

Keep bouncing!

Dr. John Schinnerer 

Guide To Self

Where meaning thrives

Dr. John is currently building a new private practice in Danville, CA. For an appointment, please email John AT GuideToSelf.com.

Dr. John Schinnerer is in private practice helping people with anger management, stress management and the latest, scientifically proven ways to deal with destructive negative emotions (anger, fear, sadness, guilt, shame). He also helps people learn ways to create a happy, meaningful life. His practice is located in the Danville-San Ramon Medical Center at 913 San Ramon Valley Blvd., #280, Danville, California 94526. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Schinnerer has been an executive and psychologist for over 10 years. Dr. John Schinnerer is President and Founder of Guide To Self, a company that coaches clients to their potential using the latest in positive psychology, mindfulness and attentional control. Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development, to sports psychology. Dr. Schinnerer wrote the award-winning, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which is available at Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com and AuthorHouse.com.  

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