2. It Makes Us More Compassionate.

Lovingkindness meditation is a staple of many compassion-training procedures. In this practice, the meditator reflects on herself and others (including friends, neutral parties, difficult people and all of humanity) in sequence. While focusing on each individual or group, the meditator strives to appreciate the others’ humanity, by truly wishing each person in question happiness, health, freedom from suffering and peace.

This practice has been shown to increase feelings of compassion, which in turn, have been linked to greater happiness and increased helping behaviors.

The benefits are also contagious—when we witness someone doing something positive for someone else, we are more likely to experience a feeling of elevation, which is linked to greater commitment and loyalty, and an increased likelihood of helping colleagues.