A new study from the Northeastern University and Harvard University shows meditation not only improves physical and mental health, but also boosts compassion and inner harmony, according to Science Daily.
Meditation has an impact on an individual's physical and mental wellbeing, but its direct impact on a individual was unknown. There's no scientific proof to validate the impact of meditation until now. A new study examined individuals' development in compassion, along with, other benefits after meditations and presented scientific proof for such behavior.
Researchers invited participants and divided them in two groups in a random fashion. Both the groups had to complete an eight-week program in two types of meditation. Individuals were tested on completion of the training.
Researchers tested individuals from both groups by setting up a waiting room accompanied by two actors. The individuals had no idea about the staged act. Each individual was companied by two actors in a room while they waited to be called. Later, another actor entered a room appearing to be in great pain. The two accompanied actors ignored the entered person by either reading a book or using a mobile phone.
DeSteno and Paul Condon, a graduate student in DeSteno's lab who led the study, and their team wanted to see the reaction of the individuals after they see the person in pain, despite the other two people ignored to help. "We know meditation improves a person's own physical and psychological wellbeing," Condon said. "We wanted to know whether it actually increases compassionate behavior."
After testing all the individuals from both the groups, researchers noted some fascinating results and improvement. People who did not attend any meditation program were also involved in the test and only 15 percent acted to help in the given situation. But among the people who attended the meditation program "we were able to boost that up to 50 percent," said DeSteno.
"The truly surprising aspect of this finding is that meditation made people willing to act virtuous -- to help another who was suffering -- even in the face of a norm not to do so," DeSteno said. "The fact that the other actors were ignoring the pain creates as 'bystander-effect' that normally tends to reduce helping. People often wonder 'Why should I help someone if no one else is?'"
The findings of the study are published online in the Psychological Science.
