A meditation practice originating in Buddhist traditions that involves directing well-wishes and compassion toward oneself and progressively expanding circles of others. Fredrickson et al. (2008) demonstrated in a randomized controlled trial that regular LKM practice increases positive emotions, social connections, and life satisfaction.
Loving-kindness meditation (LKM), known as metta bhavana in the Pali tradition, is a meditation practice that cultivates an attitude of unconditional warmth and goodwill toward oneself and others. The practice follows a progressive structure: practitioners begin by directing loving-kindness toward themselves, then expand to a loved one, a neutral person, a difficult person, and finally all beings everywhere.
The typical practice involves silently repeating phrases such as 'May you be happy,' 'May you be healthy,' 'May you be safe,' and 'May you live with ease.' While the phrases may feel formulaic at first, consistent practice cultivates a genuine shift in emotional orientation toward warmth and compassion. This shift extends beyond formal meditation sessions into daily life and relationships.
Barbara Fredrickson and colleagues (2008) conducted a rigorous randomized controlled trial demonstrating that regular loving-kindness meditation practice increased daily experiences of positive emotions, which in turn built personal resources including mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, and decreased illness symptoms. These changes predicted increased life satisfaction, providing evidence for the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Additional research has shown LKM can reduce self-criticism, increase empathy, and decrease implicit bias.
Loving-kindness meditation (metta) is a practice that involves directing well-wishes and compassion toward yourself and progressively expanding circles of others — from a loved one to a neutral person to a difficult person to all beings. It cultivates unconditional warmth and goodwill.
Research by Fredrickson et al. (2008) showed that regular loving-kindness meditation increases positive emotions, social connections, and life satisfaction. Additional research has found benefits including reduced self-criticism, increased empathy, and decreased implicit bias.
Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and silently repeat phrases like 'May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be safe, may I live with ease.' After directing these wishes to yourself, progressively extend them to a loved one, a neutral person, a difficult person, and all beings.
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