The Effect Of Mindfulness On Altruistic Behavior

Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from intentionally focusing attention on present experience with acceptance,which can lead to greater insight into the nature of physical and mental experience.Research in recent years has not only revealed a strong link between mindfulness and individual physical and mental health,but has also suggested that mindfulness can enhance helping behavior.However,can mindfulness promote altruistic behavior? And,if mindfulness can promote altruistic behavior,what are its internal mechanisms? Existing research is not yet sufficient to answer this question.Distinguished from helping behavior,altruistic behavior is driven by altruistic motives directed solely toward alleviating the suffering of others.The study of the relationship between mindfulness and altruistic behavior has profound implications for elucidating the relationship between mindfulness and good acts.In the Chinese context,compassion,unlike sympathy or empathy,is the emotion of wishing to relieve the suffering of others based on the understanding of the nature of suffering,and also contains the motivation triggered by this emotion,which is part of human nature in the face of suffering and is the fundamental driving force of altruistic behavior.This study explores the relationship between mindfulness and altruistic behavior,and attempts to answer the question "Does mindfulness promote altruistic behavior through compassion? " The study is divided into three parts:Study 1 was conducted to translate the Compassion Scale and verify its applicability in the Chinese context.The Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales(SOCS)was used as the source scale and was translated into Chinese to produce a Chinese version of the compassion scale.The results showed that the Chinese version of the compassion scale was consistent with the five-factor structural theory of compassion,and the model fit was ideal,with good calibration validity and internal consistency coefficients in the Chinese university student population.Study 2 explored the relationship between trait mindfulness and altruistic behavior,and the role of compassion in it.Ninety-three subjects with no experience of mindfulness training were recruited and questionnaires were used to measure trait mindfulness,compassion,and self-stated altruistic behavior,and altruistic behavior was measured using the altruistic donation in the psychological avoidance paradigm.The results showed that trait mindfulness positively predicted self-stated altruistic behavior and that compassion mediated it;no predictive relationship was found between trait mindfulness and altruistic donation.Study 3 explored the effects of eight-week mindfulness training on altruistic behavior and compassion and the role of compassion in the mindfulness-altruistic behavior relationship,using a mixed experimental design of 2(group: eight-week mindfulness group,waiting control group)*2(time: pre-test,post-test).Sixty-two subjects,32 in the eight-week mindfulness group and 30 in the waiting control group,were recruited to measure trait mindfulness and compassion using questionnaires and altruistic behavior using altruistic donation in the psychological avoidance paradigm.The results showed that the eight-week mindfulness training significantly promoted altruistic donation and elevated compassion compared to the waiting control group;and that the change value of compassion mediated the relationship between the eight-week mindfulness training and the promotion of altruistic donation.Combining the three studies,the following conclusions can be drawn:(1)The Chinese version of the compassion scale has ideal model fit and good reliability,and can be used as a measure of compassion in Chinese contexts.(2)Trait mindfulness significantly predicted self-stated altruistic behavior;eight weeks of mindfulness training significantly promoted altruistic donation compared to the waiting control group.(3)Trait mindfulness significantly predicted compassion;eight weeks of mindfulness training significantly enhanced compassion.(4)Compassion mediated the relationship between trait mindfulness and self-stated altruistic behavior;changes in compassion mediated the relationship between eight weeks of mindfulness training and altruistic donation compared to the waiting control group.