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Short-Term Compassion Training Increases Prosocial Behavior in a Newly Developed Prosocial Game

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  • Susanne Leiberg
  • Olga Klimecki
  • Tania Singer

Abstract

Compassion has been suggested to be a strong motivator for prosocial behavior. While research has demonstrated that compassion training has positive effects on mood and health, we do not know whether it also leads to increases in prosocial behavior. We addressed this question in two experiments. In Experiment 1, we introduce a new prosocial game, the Zurich Prosocial Game (ZPG), which allows for repeated, ecologically valid assessment of prosocial behavior and is sensitive to the influence of reciprocity, helping cost, and distress cues on helping behavior. Experiment 2 shows that helping behavior in the ZPG increased in participants who had received short-term compassion training, but not in participants who had received short-term memory training. Interindividual differences in practice duration were specifically related to changes in the amount of helping under no-reciprocity conditions. Our results provide first evidence for the positive impact of short-term compassion training on prosocial behavior towards strangers in a training-unrelated task.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanne Leiberg & Olga Klimecki & Tania Singer, 2011. "Short-Term Compassion Training Increases Prosocial Behavior in a Newly Developed Prosocial Game," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(3), pages 1-10, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0017798
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017798
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    14. Hafenbrack, Andrew C. & Cameron, Lindsey D. & Spreitzer, Gretchen M. & Zhang, Chen & Noval, Laura J. & Shaffakat, Samah, 2020. "Helping People by Being in the Present: Mindfulness Increases Prosocial Behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 21-38.
    15. Carole Daniel & Elodie Gentina & Tavleen Kaur, 2023. "Mindfulness and green purchase intention: A mediated moderation model uncovering the role of ethical self-identity," Post-Print hal-04132535, HAL.
    16. Winnie W. S. Mak & Sin Man Ng & Emily W. S. Tsoi & Ben C. L. Yu, 2022. "Interconnectedness Is Associated with a Greater Sense of Civic Duty and Collective Action Participation through Transcendental Awareness and Compassion during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-11, June.
    17. Luis Ángel Pérula-de Torres & Juan Carlos Verdes-Montenegro-Atalaya & Elena Melús-Palazón & Leonor García-de Vinuesa & Francisco Javier Valverde & Luis Alberto Rodríguez & Norberto Lietor-Villajos & C, 2021. "Comparison of the Effectiveness of an Abbreviated Program versus a Standard Program in Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Self-Perceived Empathy in Tutors and Resident Intern Specialists of Family and C," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-16, April.
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    19. Olga M. Klimecki & Matthieu Vétois & David Sander, 2020. "The impact of empathy and perspective-taking instructions on proponents and opponents of immigration," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-12, December.
    20. Daniel Lim & Paul Condon & David DeSteno, 2015. "Mindfulness and Compassion: An Examination of Mechanism and Scalability," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(2), pages 1-8, February.
    21. Engel, Yuval & Ramesh, Anusha & Steiner, Nick, 2020. "Powered by compassion: The effect of loving-kindness meditation on entrepreneurs' sustainable decision-making," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(6).

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