A lot of conflict today is caused by an alarming decrease in empathy. A 2010 study conducted at the University of Michigan found college students had a 40% decrease in empathy compared to their peers 30 years ago, with most of the decrease occurri…

An alarming decrease in empathy can make Christmas 2012 a perfect storm for conflict and anger. Families everywhere will be getting together for festivities, food, and football. Unfortunately, conflict and anger often accompany such family gatherings. …

Mirror neurons are fascinating but they aren’t the answer to what makes us human By Christian Jarrett, Ph.D… Back in the 1990s neuroscientists at the University of Parma identified cells in the premotor cortex of monkeys that had an unusu…

For years I visited classrooms and led compassionate-living programs for students of all ages.  The school programs consisted of three basic parts: 1.  Connect children to the natural world so they can fall in love with the earth.2.&nbsp…

Recent studies find our first impulses are selfless Although this evidence does not definitely solve the puzzle of human nature, it does give us evidence we may use to solve this puzzle for ourselves—and our solutions will likely vary accor…

Meditation cultivates concentration, empathy, and insight at a neural level. A study from November of 2012 found that participating in an 8-week meditation training program can have measurable effects on how the brain functions even when someone i…