Helping People by Being in the Present: Mindfulness Increases Prosocial Behavior

Abstract

While mindfulness originated in Buddhist teachings, the variant studied by Western psychologists and taught in corporations has been secularized. One might suspect that secularized mindfulness - a version of mindfulness from which prescriptions for how to treat others have been removed - would not be effective for promoting prosocial behavior. It is important to explore whether this is the case or not. Secular mindfulness is characterized by focused, nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment and can be cultivated via meditation. The present research tested whether secular mindfulness increases prosocial behavior. Study 1 was a field experiment in India. Employees who had been randomly assigned to engage in a focused breathing meditation were more willing to donate to a coworker in financial distress. Study 2 was a longitudinal field experiment at a US insurance company. Employees who were randomly assigned to a five (5) day brief mindfulness training intervention reported more helping behaviors quantitatively and in daily diaries. Study 3 was an experiment which examined mechanisms of the effects of induced state mindfulness via two different mindfulness inductions, focused breathing and loving kindness meditations, on compassionate responding. We found strong support for empathy and moderate support for perspective taking as mediators of the relationship between mindfulness and prosocial behavior. In contrast to arguments that the removal of Buddhist-based concepts from mindfulness renders it ineffectual to promote interconnectedness and compassion, our results indicate that secular mindfulness can make people more helpful towards others.