These findings add to a growing body of research about how mindfulness could be a useful tool in the fight against racism (among other things). It may sound like a bunch of hocus-pocus to those unfamiliar with the well-studied benefits of mediation, but mindful practices like LKM have the potential to snap people out of their automatic thinking and promote empathy.
Of course, more research needs to be done before we can say that this is a viable way of combatting systemic racism — you can’t force bigoted people to meditate, after all. But according to the study’s authors, understanding how to harness the right kinds of positive emotions through mindfulness could be the key to promoting this kind of thinking outside the lab.
You may also like
EmpathyLab is a small start-up, passionate about the creative power of words to build empathy, and the power of empathy to make the world a better place.Empathy skills are vital in helping children and young people tackle some big challenges, at home a…
(With all that we are hearing, reading and experiencing daily, I thought reprinting this short excerpt from Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World, by Michele Borba, would be a very good idea.)“What trait do kids rea…
Can you remember back to when you first decided to enter veterinary medicine? For many of us, this profession is a “calling” that began whispering our name way back in our youth. Perhaps you were the type of child who found all the strays i…
Why is it important to be empathetic with a loved one who has cancer?The more social support people have while going through a crisis, they better able they are to cope. To be empathetic means you are making an effort at a level others haven&rsqu…