The Origins of Tenderness, Trust, and Morality An Evolutionary Perspective

A new report on the science of compassion by Dr Lynne Reeder and her international research colleague Dr Marcela Matos on the Future Directions in Compassion Science has just been released: Some of the key points from this report include: Research in compassion science is consistently finding that the motivation of compassion fosters improved mental and physical health, and has profound effects on social relationships in families, groups, communities and between communities. Many scientific studies show that different motives organise our minds and bodies quite differently. For example, the way our attention is directed, our thoughts are focused, and our intended behaviours are enacted, differ significantly as to whether our motives are - competitive self-focused, anger or fear based - or cooperative and compassion based. There are many practical applications of compassion, including for business and commerce – e.g. studies conducted by Assoc Prof Daniel Martin have found that compassion training can improve the psychological safety and well-being of employees and therefore mitigate the negative behaviours within businesses that can disrupt valuable innovations. Prof Tania Singer, Director of the Social Neuroscience Lab, Max Planck Society, Germany highlights how compassion training works. Her world leading studies which include the use of fMRI’s in assessing differences before and after compassion training - show that it works by supporting the upregulation of our systems of care and affiliation…in compassion you accept the reality that is out there, but you activate the system which will allow you to be resilient against the potential negative effect of overwhelm and empathic distress. Read the full report here Read a 2 page summary of the report here

with Ciara Bryne, Dr. Janet Salisbury and Dr. Lynne Reeder In early February, researchers from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service presented data indicating that throughout 2023, temperatures surpassed the critical threshold of a 1.5-degree increase above pre-industrial levels. This threshold is significant as it is the limit global leaders committed to not exceed in order to prevent the most severe impacts of climate change. With this new evidence highlighting the failure to make sufficient progress in combating climate change, it becomes imperative to explore the obstacles hindering our advancement. We must delve into the psychological, logistical, financial, economic, and political challenges that are impeding our ability to take significant strides toward safeguarding our future and the planet from the escalating climate crisis. https://www.globalcompassioncoalition.org/events/target-1-5-degrees-what-are-the-barriers/