Loving-kindness meditation: an old practice and what studies have found

The Buddhist practice of metta, the study by Barbara Fredrickson and colleagues (2008) with 139 working adults and a simple ten-minute guide

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Translated from the Albanian original by the editors. Shqip

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Illustration: a candle shining all around, a symbol of loving-kindness meditation
Original illustration by the lexoshpejt editors. Not a historical photograph or object.
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The word metta, from the ancient Pali language, is usually translated "loving-kindness" or "goodwill". In the Buddhist tradition, metta meditation is a practice in which a person silently repeats good wishes, first for themselves, then for other people, and gradually for all beings. The aim is not to feel great love at once, but to patiently build an attitude of warmth.

The 2008 study

The American psychologist Barbara Fredrickson had studied positive emotions for years. According to her theory, these emotions are not only pleasant: over time they help us build personal resources, such as relationships, purpose and health.

To test this, she and her colleagues randomly divided 139 adults working at a software company into two groups. One group attended a seven-week workshop on loving-kindness meditation and practised at home; the other group waited its turn. Participants reported their emotions every day.

Those who meditated gradually reported more positive emotions in daily life. These emotions in turn were linked with increases in personal resources, such as a sense of purpose and social support, and with greater life satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms.

Even a few minutes

In another 2008 study, Cendri Hutcherson, Emma Seppälä and James Gross found that even a few minutes of loving-kindness meditation directed at a photograph of a stranger increased feelings of connection and positivity towards that person, compared with a control exercise.

Kindness is not only a feeling that comes to us. It can also be a skill that we cultivate.

The limits

The studies are promising, but many of them are small, and the effects are not always large. For some people, especially at first, wishes for oneself can feel difficult or artificial. This is normal.

A ten-minute practice

  1. Sit comfortably and take a few slow breaths.
  2. For yourself: silently repeat "May I be safe. May I be healthy. May I be happy. May I live with ease."
  3. For a loved one: think of them and repeat the same wishes: "May you be safe…"
  4. For a neutral person, such as a neighbour you know only slightly.
  5. For a difficult person, only if you feel ready. You might start with someone who has annoyed you a little.
  6. For everyone: "May all beings be safe and happy."

Sources and further reading

  1. Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J. & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1045–1062. PubMed
  2. Hutcherson, C. A., Seppälä, E. M. & Gross, J. J. (2008). Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion, 8(5), 720–724. PubMed
  3. Salzberg, S. (1995). Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Shambhala. WorldCat

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