Stanford Prof Says Compassion Essential to Health

The story goes something like this…

Years ago a man living in the Middle East made some startling discoveries having to do with compassion and its relationship to health. What he found was that to the extent he expressed compassion toward others, their health and general wellbeing would improve. Sick people, those who were blind and physically deformed – even a young man who had passed on – all of them experienced remarkable recoveries as a result of their brief yet obviously life-changing interactions with this man.

Although it’s difficult if not impossible to tell if this story is true (in case you missed the veiled reference, the man I’m talking about is Jesus), there is mounting evidence that compassion – whether it is received or given – improves the body. It’s also possible that what this man was practicing wasn’t a hit or miss prospect but a decidedly reliable, even scientific, approach to health care.

Religious types have known this for years, even millennia. But it’s only fairly recently that this notion has gotten substantive buy-in from others. This is due, in part, to the religious community’s ability to repackage its message in ways that resonate with the broader public.

“If we say, [the] practice of compassion is something holy, nobody [will] listen,” said the Dalai Lama in a recent interview. “If [we] say, warm-heartedness… reduce[s] your blood pressure, your anxiety, your too much stress, [and that] your health [will] improve, then people pay attention.”

Someone who’s paying particularly close attention is Dr. James Doty, Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University.

In a recent column, Doty highlighted the work being done by psychologists Ed Diener and Martin Seligman indicating that the social connectedness fostered by compassion “is a predictor of longer life, faster recovery from disease, higher levels of happiness and well-being, and a greater sense of purpose and meaning.” He goes on to say that, “While survival of the fittest may lead to short-term gain, research clearly shows it is survival of the kindest that leads to the long-term survival of a species.”

Another group with a keen interest in the health benefits of compassion is the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University. Taking their cue from famed Harvard medical professor, Francis Peabody, who once told his students that, “The secret to the care of the patient is in caring for the patient,” the focus of this program is on preparing new healthcare providers to be more empathetic with their patients, to treat them as individuals and not as “the kidney in room 3,” and to ensure that compassionate care remains at the center of medical practice.

The good news about compassion, at least according to Dr. Doty, is that it’s a natural instinct, something that can be cultivated and maintained.

Certainly it’s something that should be practiced.

Whether the impetus to do so comes from someone like Jesus, who encouraged his followers to “Go, and do thou likewise,” or from someone like Francis Peabody, it probably doesn’t matter. Just as long as we don’t forget or neglect this essential element to maintaining one another’s health.

Eric Nelson is a Los Altos resident whose articles on consciousness and health have appeared in a number of local, regional, and national publications. He also serves as the media and legislative spokesperson for Christian Science in Northern California. This article shared with permission by Communities @WashingtonTimes.com.