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Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress
Open accessAbstract
Meditation practices may impact physiological pathways that are modulated by stress and relevant to disease. While much attention has been paid to meditation practices that emphasize calming the mind, improving focused attention, or developing mindfulness, less is known about meditation practices that foster compassion. Accordingly, the current study examined the effect of compassion meditation on innate immune, neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress and evaluated the degree to which engagement in meditation practice influenced stress reactivity. Sixty-one healthy adults were randomized to 6 weeks of training in compassion meditation (n=33) or participation in a health discussion control group (n=28) followed by exposure to a standardized laboratory stressor (Trier social stress test [TSST]). Physiologic and behavioral responses to the TSST were determined by repeated assessments of plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6 and cortisol as well as total distress scores on the Profile of Mood States (POMS). No main effect of group assignment on TSST responses was found for IL-6, cortisol or POMS scores. However, within the meditation group, increased meditation practice was correlated with decreased TSST-induced IL-6 (r(p)=-0.46, p=0.008) and POMS distress scores (r(p)=-0.43, p=0.014). Moreover, individuals with meditation practice times above the median exhibited lower TSST-induced IL-6 and POMS distress scores compared to individuals below the median, who did not differ from controls. These data suggest that engagement in compassion meditation may reduce stress-induced immune and behavioral responses, although future studies are required to determine whether individuals who engage in compassion meditation techniques are more likely to exhibit reduced stress reactivity.
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“Of the 14 studies with the highest quality ratings, 10 (71%) reported significant positive associations [437–443] or increased immune functions in response to a R/S intervention [444–447].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [439]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Other forms of behavioral interventions that have been used for the treatment of fear-and anxiety-based disorder, such as community-based educational intervention, exercise, yoga, and mediation, have also been associated with decreases in inflammation (Bower and Irwin, 2016;Pace et al, 2009;Villablanca et al, 2015).”
From Inflammation in Fear- and Anxiety-Based Disorders: PTSD, GAD, and Beyond (2017) · cites this paper as Pace et al, 2009
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“While more recent studies have recognized the importance of using social evaluative threat as the stressor rather than a generic emotional film, scripts or slides, (Creswell et al., 2007; Pace et al., 2009; Weinstein et al., 2009), none were intervention studies with clinical samples.”
From Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Improves Emotional Reactivity to Social Stress: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial (2012) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“These results suggest that CM reduces stress-induced subjective distress and immune response.”
From Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: Potential for Psychological Interventions (2011) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“Second, the CM was taught by a highly expert teacher and practitioner with many years of training, whereas the active control was taught by graduate students with certainly little expertise, training or even practice with the protocol.”
From Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: Potential for Psychological Interventions (2011) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“However, a major limitation of this study was that the stress test was administered after, rather than before, CM training. Therefore, it is possible that associations between CM practice time and outcome in the stress task might have been due to differences in participants’ stress response rather than due to the practice itself”
From Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: Potential for Psychological Interventions (2011) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“First, they do not offer any clear alternative active psychological intervention procedure that has been practiced with the similar rigor of the CM.”
From Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: Potential for Psychological Interventions (2011) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“The groups showed no difference in plasma cortisol or interleukin-6 concentration.”
From Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: Potential for Psychological Interventions (2011) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“Therefore, the active control condition is hardly better than a treatment-as-usual comparison.”
From Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: Potential for Psychological Interventions (2011) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“However, increased meditation practice was associated with decreased stress-induced interleukin-6 and subjective reports of distress in the meditation group.”
From Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation: Potential for Psychological Interventions (2011) · cites this paper as Pace et al., 2009
In the citing paper
“as well as a reduction of interleukin-6 release in response to a psychosocial stressor [23].”
From Short-term compassion training increases prosocial behavior in a newly developed prosocial game (2011) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“The more time participants had actually spent training, the stronger the reduction in interleukin-6 release, suggesting a dose-dependent effect of compassion training.”
From Short-term compassion training increases prosocial behavior in a newly developed prosocial game (2011) · cites this paper as [23]
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Citations
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Metadata
- Authors
- Pace, T. W. W., Negi, L. T., Adame, D. D., Cole, S. P., Sivilli, T. I., Brown, T. D., Issa, M. J., & Raison, C. L.
- Affiliations
- Emory University (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Raison, Charles L.
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-01
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 87-98
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2695992
- OpenAlex
- W2101119621
- Cited by
- 748
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 78 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 58 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 43 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 43 · 2015: 42 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 57
- FWCI
- 24.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
- National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000454)
- National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH064619)
- National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR025008, M01RR000039, M01-RR-0039)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- compassion meditation, psychosocial stress, stress reactivity, Trier Social Stress Test, interleukin-6, cortisol, innate immunity, neuroendocrine response
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Empathy, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Immunity, Innate, Male, Stress, Physiological, Stress, Psychological, Time Factors, Interleukin-6, Meditation, Young Adult
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