Physiology
Practicing compassion has been shown to not only improve mental but also physical wellbeing. It can reduce blood pressure, heart-rate variability, and the physical symptoms of stress.
KEY PAPERS
- All Post
- Physiology
Compassion interacts with social support to buffer against physiological reactivity to stress
2010
Cosley, B. J., McCoy, S. K., Saslow, L. R., & Epel, E. S
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Self-compassion suppresses threat and pain neural responses when dealing with one’s own failures
2020
Kim, J.J., Parker, S.L., Doty, J.R
Scientific Reports
Compassion is associated with better parasympathetic regulation (as measured via heart rate variability)
2020
Di Bello, Maria & Carnevali, Luca & Petrocchi, Nicola & Thayer, Julian & Gilbert, Paul & Ottaviani, Cristina
Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews
Brief compassionate interventions can improve parasympathetic regulation
2017
Matos, M., Duarte, C., Duarte, J
Mindfulness