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Behavioral and Neural Effects of Compassion Medita9on

Helen Weng, MS University of Wisconsin-‐Madison

July 20, 2012

Does compassion medita9on training increase helping behavior?

Prac9ce Real-‐world behavior

Compassion experts

Lutz, Davidson et al., 2004; 2008; 2009

What about people like you and me? Can our emo9ons and behavior change with just 2 weeks of prac9ce over the Internet?

Personal Interest

•  Why compassion? •  Why short interven9ons?

Compassion Medita9on

Loved One

Self

Stranger

Difficult Person

Contemplate suffering Wish relief from suffering

“May you be free from suffering. May you have joy and ease.”

Interocep9on Light visualiza9on

Strengthening the Compassion Muscle

Loved One Difficult Person

Measures of Compassion

•  Chose measures less suscep9ble to social desirability (doing things that others want you to do)

Altruistic Behavior fMRI emotions Looking Time

General Framework

Compassion medita9on increases compassion

Which changes Brain ac9vity

And will increase altruis9c behavior

How do we study Compassion Training?

Compassion Training, n = 20

Reappraisal Training, n = 21

Before A1er

Random Assignment

30/min day on the Internet for 2 weeks

How do we measure compassionate behavior?

•  Compassion is the feeling of caring for and wan9ng to help those are suffering

•  Economic task needs to involve

1. Witnessing Suffering 2. Altruis=c Behavior

Measuring compassionate behavior: Redistribu=on Game

A B

C

$0

Interac9on 1: Witnessing Suffering

Interac9on 2: Altruis=c Behavior $5

$10 + $1

-‐ $

+ $$

Anonymous Computer Interface

Compassionate people (with no training) give more in response to unfairness

Gives More

Gives Less

More Compassion

Less Compassion

r = 0.43 P < .001

Weng et al., Under Revision

Compassion Training Increases Redistribu9on

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

No Training Reappraisal Compassion

$1.14 $0.62

No Difference

* *

* P < 0.05 Weng et al., Under Revision

Gives More

Gives Less

Can this be explained by changes in the brain?

Measure brain responses to suffering Before and aier training

Greater altruism is predicted by changes in the brain

é Parietal Cortex

Witnessing suffering: Emotion sharing, Mirror neuron system

Gives More $

é Prefrontal Cortex

Brain Increases

Emotion regulation Self-control

Mind & Life XXIV: Latest Findings in Contempla9ve Neuroscience (2012)

Richard Davidson, PhD, David Vago, PhD, Willoughby Britton, PhD, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Helen Weng, MS, Baljinder Sahdra, PhD, Norman Farb, PhD


ê Amygdala (Distress)

Gives More $

y = -3

Decreased Amygdala Weng et al., Under Revision


y = -3

é Prefrontal Cortex (emo9on regula9on)

Brain Connec=vity

é  Insula (empathy,

Interocep9on)

é Nucleus Accumbens (reward)

Weng et al., Under Revision

Compassion trainees visually engage more with suffering

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

2

4

6 %

Loo

king

Tim

e (N

eg-N

eu)

Compassion Reappraisal

*

* p < 0.05 1-tailed

Weng et al., In Preparation

After Training

Looking Time and Altruis9c Behavior

Weng et al., In Preparation

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

T2 %

Loo

king

Tim

e (N

eg-N

eu)

0

10

20

30

40

Neg > Neu Neu > Neg

Redistrib

u9on

(Rank)

*

Conclusions

Compassion medita9on increases compassion

Which changes Brain ac9vity

And will increase altruis9c behavior

Thank you for listening!

•  Advisor –  Richie Davidson, PhD

•  Collaborators –  Alex Shackman, PhD –  Drew Fox

•  Research Staff –  Diane Stodola

•  Statistics –  Dana Tudorascu, PhD –  John Curtin, PhD

•  Grads/Post-Docs –  Jessica Kirkland, PhD –  Hyejeen Lee, PhD –  Brianna Schuyler, PhD –  David Perlman –  Allison Jahn, PhD

•  Programming –  Nate Vack

•  Undergraduate Assistants –  Matthew Olson –  Tenzin Dhanze

•  MRI Staff –  Michael Anderle –  Lisa Angelos, PhD –  Ron Fisher –  Michael Place

•  Administrative Staff –  Donna Cole –  Isa Dolski

•  Training Developers –  Gregory Rogers, PhD –  Linda Wuestenberg, LCSW

TITLE

•  TEXT

Compassion training increases altruis9c behavior

Gives More

Gives Less 10

15

20

25

30

Control Compassion

*

After 2 weeks of training Weng et al., submiped

Domain of Expertise & Methodology

•  Domain of expertise –  Short-term compassion meditation in healthy adults –  Test the main hypothesis: Does compassion meditation increase helping others? –  Methodology

•  Pre/post Randomized design – can measure changes DUE TO compassion training

•  What is compassion meditation? •  How did we administer it? Internet (PICTURE)

–  Applicability, Assessibility –  Research: can track people as they practice, do not have to run a course

•  How did we measure it? –  Problem in researching compassion: Social Desirability –  Marlowe-Crowne items: I never hesitate to go out of my way to help someone in

trouble. I have never intensely disliked anyone. –  Emotional responses in the Brain –  Costly altruistic behavior –  Eye movements

What is compassion?

•  Compassion is the emo9onal response of caring for and wan9ng to help those who are suffering (Goetz, Simon-‐Thomas & Keltner, 2010)

•  Emo9onal response to suffering (Batson, 1991; Eisenberg, Fabes & Spinrad, 2006)

– Decreased personal distress –  Increased empathic concern

•  Behavioral response

– Helping

Why should compassion be trained? •  Compassion may have evolved to foster social rela9onships to increase survival of both kin and non-‐kin (Darwin, 1871; Sober & Wilson 1998; Goetz et al., 2010)

–  Children – Ma9ng partners –  Strangers

•  Individuals with poor social rela9onships are at higher risk for psychological and physical illness, and even death (Cohen, 2004; Kawachi & Berkman, 1996; Uchino, Cacioppo & Kiecolt-‐Glaser, 2001; House, 1988)

Studying compassionate behavior using economic decision-‐making

•  Social interac9ons are well-‐defined through economic exchanges

•  Outcomes are easy to measure •  Interac9ons are real and anonymous •  Easily administered through computer interac9ons

•  Behavior is costly, and results in real financial consequences

How do we study Compassion Training? •  Methodology •  Interven9on

–  Internet training (30 min/day for 2 weeks) –  Random Assignment –  Ac9ve control group –  Protect against nonspecific effects (prac9ce structure and 9me, teacher)

•  Measurements –  Emo9ons – brain response (fMRI) –  Behavior – altruis9c economic decision-‐making –  Protect against social desirability

Measuring compassionate behavior: Redistribu=on Game

A $$$$$ $$$$$ Step 1: A shares with B

while C observes (Witnessing Suffering)

+

Step 2: C can choose to pay to redistribute from A to B (Altruis=c Behavior)

B 0

C $$$$$

A + B

C -‐ $$$

Can greater altruism aier compassion training be explained by changes in the brain?

éDorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (execu9ve control, working memory, emo9on regula9on)

ê Amygdala (Distress, Fear)

é Insula (Body awareness, empathy)

é Nucleus Accumbens (Reward, helping)

Sanfey, 2007

Edits

•  Graphs – Take out REP group, numbers – Explain brain CHANGE – Explain axes

•  Difficult person – change •  Picture of weights

Compassion experts

Lutz et al., PNAS 2004; PloS One 2008; NeuroImage 2009

Increased altruism is predicted by changes in brain response to suffering

-15"

-5"

5"

15"

25"

-‐1.5 -‐1 -‐0.5 0 0.5

REP sr = -0.33*"COM sr = 0.45**"

é Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex DLPFC (execu9ve control, working memory, emo9on regula9on)

Gives More

Increased DLPFC Weng et al., submiped

Increased altruism is predicted by changes in brain response to suffering

-15"

-5"

5"

15"

25"

-3" -2" -1" 0" 1" 2"

REP sr = .20"COM sr = -0.41***"

ê Amygdala (Distress, Fear)

Gives More

y = -3

Decreased Amygdala Weng et al., submiped

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