Did you know that The Center for Compassion and Altruism Education from Stanford University (US) wants to bring the tools of neuroscience to the study of empathy, compassion, and altruism?
Senior Teachers at Stanford Offer New Ways to Cultivate Compassion :
“Compassion is at the core of our common humanity and has ensured the survival and thriving of our species over millennia. For this reason, the Centre for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University School of Medicine was founded in 2008 with the explicit goal of promoting, supporting, and conducting rigorous scientific studies of compassion and altruistic behaviour. Founded and directed by Dr. James Doty, Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery, CCARE is established within the Department of Neurosurgery. To date, CCARE has collaborated with a number of prominent neuroscientists, behavioural scientists, geneticists and biomedical researchers to closely examine the physiological and psychological correlates of compassion and altruism.”
“Studies show that the parts of the brain activated by compassion are the very same ones that lead to feelings of pleasure, elevation, and to greater physical health and longevity.”
“Simply learning to mentally recategorize one another in terms of commonalities would generate greater empathy among all of us — and foster social harmony in a fairly effortless way.”
His Holiness Dalai Lama said, “The cultivation of compassion is no longer a luxury, but a necessity, if our species is to survive.” In May 2013, he said that the Compassionate Cities campaign is one of the most important activities on the planet.
A number of measurable results show an increase in social and emotional competence and empathy, and a reduction in aggression. The Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington is conducting a study to evaluate brain and behavioral development in 5-year-olds and 9-year-olds .
Scholar Michael Norton contends in a TED talk that brain studies show that money can actually buy happiness -but….. if you spend it on someone else:
Another scholar, Karen Armstrong, won the TED prize for 2008 with her speech about creating a global network to promote Compassion among all religions. She also wrote a good book “12 Steps to a More Compassionate Life”. She created a Golden Rule to be respected in this endeavour.