Meditation will help to build relationships with people
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The ability of a person to feel and "read" the emotions of another person is called empathy. Through meditation, this ability can be greatly improved and developed. To such conclusions came the scientists from the University of Emory.
"Previous research has shown that in both adults and children who are able to understand the emotions of others and empathize with them, relationships with people are much better established," explains the lead author of the new research, Dr. Jennifer Mascarro of the University of Emory (Atlanta).
Meditation, designed to develop compassion, was created by the co-author of this study by Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi. Geshe Negi is a senior lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at Emory University, and also the Director of the Emery-Tibet Cooperation Program.
The research of scientists was aimed at studying the influence of compassion meditation on behavioral and neuroendocrine reactions.
Most people think of meditation as an action aimed at limiting the concentration of consciousness on the internal emotional processes, that is, the knowledge of oneself. The practice developed by Geshe Negi pursues another goal: it is not aimed at increasing self-awareness, but improving the understanding of other people, analyzing relationships with them and finding ways to improve these relationships. Meditation Geshe Negi helps people understand that all people in society are dependent on each other and each of us wants to be happy.
To test whether meditation helps to understand other people better, the researchers conducted a special test with the participants before and after the meditation course. They showed them black-and-white photographs, which depicted only the eyes of people exhibiting different emotions. Participants needed to "read" through their eyes what emotions are depicted in each photo.
The results of the test were indicative: eight of the thirteen participants in the study after the course of meditation, on average 4.6%, recognized the emotions in the eyes in photographs better, while the control group members who did not meditate did not show any improvement in this direction.
In addition, with the help of magnetic resonance imaging, scientists determined that after the course of meditation, the participants in the study increased the activity of neurons in the areas of the brain that affect the ability to empathy.
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