ArticleMindfulness2018
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Meditation on Empathy, Compassion, and Prosocial Behaviors.
Article in Mindfulness, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04977245 (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention in Caregivers of Dementia Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 105 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention in Caregivers of Dementia Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Who cites it
105 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 336 citations in OpenAlex.
- Loving-Kindness Meditation: Systematic Review of Neuroimaging Correlates in Long-Term Practitioners and Clinical Implications.Brain and behavior · 2025Pooled it
- The association between social support and prosocial behavior: A three-level meta-analysis.PsyCh journal · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on empathy: A meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Can Mindfulness Help to Alleviate Loneliness? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- Meditation: Evidence Map of Systematic Reviews.Frontiers in public health · 2021Pooled it
- A Meta-Regression of psychosocial factors associated with sleep outcomes in mindfulness-based intervention trials.Behavioral sleep medicinePooled it
- Gender differences in the influence of app-based mindfulness meditation on emotion regulation: a randomised controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- EMBRACE Study: Outcomes of a Randomized, Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Adults with Congenital Heart Disease.Pediatric cardiology · 2026Trial
- Impact of meditation on brain age derived from multimodal neuroimaging in experts and older adults from a randomized trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Effects of brief mindfulness meditation on compassion and personal distress using the socio-affective video task.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Examining emotion reactivity to politically polarizing media in a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness training versus active coping training.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- App-based mindfulness meditation reduces stress in novice meditators: a randomized controlled trial of headspace using ecological momentary assessment.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2025Trial
- The effects of short video app-guided loving-kindness meditation on interpersonal mindfulness, empathy, collaboration, affect, and workplace well-being among working professionals.Frontiers in public health · 2025Trial
- Boosting Empathy and Compassion Through Mindfulness-Based and Socioemotional Dyadic Practice: Randomized Controlled Trial With App-Delivered Trainings.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- Mindfulness and compassion training on daily work with patients and within the multiprofessional palliative care team: a retrospective self-assessment study.BMC palliative care · 2023Trial
- Efficacy of mHealth aided 12-week meditation and breath intervention on change in burnout and professional quality of life among health care providers of a tertiary care hospital in north India: a randomized waitlist-controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2023Trial
- Trial
- The effect of loving-kindness meditation on employees' mindfulness, affect, altruism and knowledge hiding.BMC psychology · 2022Trial
- Effects of a Yoga Exercise Program on Cognitive Distortion, Communication Skills, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Psychological Characteristics Among Probationary Employees.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Goal Setting and Anchoring Effects on Meditation Using a Digital Platform: Large-Scale Digital Field Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
45 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Increased attention has focused on methods to increase empathy, compassion, and pro-social behavior. Meditation practices have traditionally been used to cultivate pro-social outcomes, and recently investigations have sought to evaluate their efficacy for these outcomes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of meditation for pro-social emotions and behavior. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane databases (inception-April 2016) using the search terms: mindfulness, meditation, mind-body therapies, tai chi, yoga, MBSR, MBCT, empathy, compassion, love, altruism, sympathy, or kindness. Randomized controlled trials in any population were included (26 studies with 1,714 subjects). Most were conducted among healthy adults (
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.