Compassion toward others and self-compassion predict mental and physical well-being: a 5-year longitudinal study of 1090 community-dwelling adults across the lifespan

Abstract

There is growing interest in the role of compassion in promoting health and well-being, with cross-sectional data showing an inverse correlation with loneliness. This is the first longitudinal study examining both compassion toward others (CTO) and compassion toward self (CTS) as predictors of mental and physical health outcomes including loneliness, across adult lifespan. We followed 552 women and 538 men in San Diego County for up to 7.5 (mean 4.8 and SD 2.2) years, using validated rating scales for CTO, CTS, and loneliness. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to examine age- and sex-related trajectories of CTO and CTS over time. Linear regression models were used to evaluate baseline and longitudinal relationships of CTO and CTS with mental well-being, physical well-being, and loneliness. CTS and CTO were weakly intercorrelated. Women had higher baseline CTO than men. While CTO was stable over time and across the lifespan, CTS scores had an inverse U-shaped relationship with age, peaking around age 77. There were significant baseline × slope interactions of both CTO and CTS predicting improvements in physical well-being in adults <60 years old. Increases in CTO and CTS predicted improvements in mental well-being. Higher baseline CTO and CTS as well as increases in CTO and CTS scores predicted lower loneliness scores at follow-up. Thus, CTO and CTS were associated with better mental well-being and loneliness across the adult lifespan, and physical well-being in younger adults, and are promising targets for interventions to improve health outcomes.

Association of compassion and empathy with prosocial health behaviors and attitudes in a pandemic

“…In modern times, the ability to care for others in need should confer the same benefits, but people can also engage in prosocial behaviors that help others at potential personal cost. The tendency to have compassion for others in need and compassionate rather than self-image goals has been associated with indices of better social connections, such as perceived social support [19] and less loneliness [20].…”

Concurrent TMS-EEG and EEG reveal neuroplastic and oscillatory changes associated with self-compassion and negative emotions

“…Our results further provide strong evidence on the link between self-compassion and gamma power as well as coherence. It remains an open question whether compassion for others and self-compassion are in fact part of the same overarching construct ( Anālayo & Dhammadinnā, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2021 ; MacBeth & Gumley, 2012 ). While some studies indicate compassion to be synonymous with self-compassion in mental health ( MacBeth & Gumley, 2012 ), others found no relationship between self-compassion and compassion for others ( López et al, 2018 ).…”

Self-Compassion and Social Connectedness as Predictors of “Peace and Meaning” during Spain’s Initial COVID-19 Lockdown

“…So, we must understand this data in the context of Spain's initial COVID-19 lockdown. Nevertheless, Lee et al (2021) already found that compassion toward others and selfcompassion were associated with better mental well-being across the adult lifespan, so it could be hypothesized that self-compassion might play an important role to buffer the adverse mental health impacts of COVID-19 in the future and in prolonged periods of lockdown (Lau et al 2020).…”