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Greater Good in Action · Compassion · Practice 06

Loving-Kindness Meditation

Fifteen minutes of silently wishing well — to yourself, a loved one, a stranger, a difficult person, and everyone.

15 min practice + 5 min journalStandard practiceHandwritten journal, dated & timedGGIA difficulty: Moderate

1Why you should try it

Practicing kindness is one of the most direct routes to happiness: research suggests that kind people tend to be more satisfied with their relationships and with their lives in general. We all have a natural capacity for kindness, but sometimes we don't take steps to nurture and express this capacity as much as we could.

Loving-kindness meditation (sometimes called "metta" meditation) is a great way to cultivate our propensity for kindness. It is a mantra meditation: you silently repeat a short phrase over and over, slowly, so that your attention rests on each phrase, mentally sending goodwill, kindness, and warmth toward others.

2The session — Prof. Magee's 15-minute protocol

Follow these timings, not the website's. Set a timer. One session = the 15 minutes below, then 5 minutes of journaling immediately after. At least 4 sessions in your 2-week window — the guide recommends 3 times per week, 15 minutes each.

3′3′3′3′3′

This is Prof. Magee's five-part version. The phrases are the whole practice — repeat them slowly and let your attention rest on each one. To time yourself, use the free Insight Timer app (set interval bells every 3 minutes) or your phone's timer. A guided version to learn from: youtube.com/watch?v=auS1HtAz6Bs (slightly different from the version below).

  1. 3MINYourselfClose your eyes. Sit with your feet flat and your spine straight; relax the whole body. Take a few deep breaths, let the breathing return to normal, and begin: "May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease." Repeat, slowly.
  2. 3MINSomeone specialPicture someone who loves you or whom you love. Send the phrases to them: "May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease."
  3. 3MINSomeone neutralBring to mind an acquaintance — a classmate you don't know, a bus driver, the person at the deli. Like you, this person wishes to have a good life. Send them the same phrases.
  4. 3MINA friend — or a difficult person (challenging!)Start with a friend. When you feel ready (maybe not in your first session), try someone you find difficult. Send them the phrases anyway. Notice the resistance; don't fight it, just keep repeating.
  5. 3MINAll beings everywhereWiden out. Picture the whole globe in front of you as a small ball and send the phrases to all living beings who, like you, want to be happy: "May all beings be safe, happy, healthy, and live with ease." Take a deep breath in and out. Notice the state of your mind before you open your eyes.

3Then journal — 5 minutes, by hand

4Evidence that it works

Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008)

People who practiced loving-kindness meditation daily for seven weeks reported a steady increase in their daily experience of positive emotions, such as joy, gratitude, contentment, hope, and love. They also reported greater life satisfaction and lower depressive symptoms following the intervention, compared to when they started. People who were on a waitlist to learn the practice didn't report these benefits.

5Why it works

Loving-kindness meditation increases happiness in part by making people feel more connected to others — to loved ones, acquaintances, and even strangers. Research suggests that when people practice loving-kindness meditation regularly, they start automatically reacting more positively to others — and their social interactions and close relationships become more satisfying. Loving-kindness meditation can also reduce people's focus on themselves — which can, in turn, lower symptoms of anxiety and depression.

6Know the research — for your presentation (APA 7)

In your presentation you will explain, from memory and without notes, the evidence behind each practice — who studied it, when, and what they found — plus something not written on the GGIA site or on this handout. Read these papers (SJNY library or Google Scholar), then follow their citations forward to find your own article — one more peer-reviewed study on this topic that is not the source study here (due Sun Dec 6). Take photos along the way; they are your slides.

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. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013262

Adapted for PSY 251 from Greater Good in Action, Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley — original at https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/loving_kindness_meditation. Practice sources: Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., Stanford University (GGIA script); protocol adapted by Prof. Magee. Timings, session structure, and journal rules are Prof. Magee's and override the website's.