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Gallagher S, Raffone A, Aglioti SM. The pattern theory of compassion. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:504-516. [PMID: 38734530 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Concepts of empathy, sympathy and compassion are often confused in a variety of literatures. This article proposes a pattern-theoretic approach to distinguishing compassion from empathy and sympathy. Drawing on psychology, Western philosophy, affective neuroscience, and contemplative science, we clarify the nature of compassion as a specific pattern of dynamically related factors that include physiological, cognitive, and affective processes, relational/intersubjective processes, and motivational/action tendencies. We also show that the dynamic nature of the compassion pattern is reflected in neuroscientific findings, as well as in compassion practice. The pattern theory of compassion allows us to make several clear distinctions between compassion, empathy, and sympathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Gallagher
- Department of Philosophy, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA; School of Liberal Arts (SOLA), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| | - Antonino Raffone
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore M Aglioti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Center for Life, Nano-, and Neuroscience (CLN2S), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
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Conklin QA, Zanesco AP, King BG, Epel ES, Saron CD. Changes in peripheral oxytocin and vasopressin during a silent month-long Insight meditation retreat. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1345527. [PMID: 38863930 PMCID: PMC11165068 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1345527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Given its putative roles in mediating prosocial behavior, attachment bonds, and stress physiology, oxytocin modulation has been hypothesized to be a biological correlate of the salubrious effects of meditation practice. Here we investigated the effects of a month-long silent meditation retreat on changes in oxytocin, and the related hormone and vasopressin, in relation to psychosocial changes in attachment style, anxiety, personality measures, and feelings of social connectedness with fellow meditators. Methods Plasma oxytocin and vasopressin and self-report questionnaires were measured in retreat participants (n = 28) at the beginning of, and 3 weeks into, a residential meditation retreat. Control participants (n = 34), who were similar in age, gender, and meditation experience, were also assessed across a 3-week interval. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess outcomes. Results The retreat group showed a small but significant decrease in oxytocin compared to controls who showed no change. In the retreat group, higher openness to experience at Time 1 predicted greater reductions in oxytocin during the retreat, and lower oxytocin at Time 2 was related to stronger feelings of personal connection with fellow meditators. The changes in oxytocin were not related to attachment style or anxiety. Vasopressin decreased over time across both groups, suggesting no specific effect of retreat. Conclusion These preliminary findings suggest that meditation training in the context of a silent residential retreat may reduce circulating levels of oxytocin. We interpret this finding from multiple theoretical perspectives, discussing key measurement limitations and proposing future study designs that may help to differentiate the effects of different meditation practices and contexts on oxytocin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn A. Conklin
- Center for Health and Community, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Anthony P. Zanesco
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Brandon G. King
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Elissa S. Epel
- Center for Health and Community, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Clifford D. Saron
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- The MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Aygün O, Mohr E, Duff C, Matthew S, Schoenberg P. Oxytocin Modulation in Mindfulness-Based Pain Management for Chronic Pain. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:253. [PMID: 38398763 PMCID: PMC10890287 DOI: 10.3390/life14020253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In the context of chronic pain management, opioid-based treatments have been heavily relied upon, raising concerns related to addiction and misuse. Non-pharmacological approaches, such as Mindfulness-Based Pain Management, offer alternative strategies. We conducted a mechanistic clinical study to investigate the impact of an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Pain Management intervention on chronic pain, the modulation of inflammatory markers, stress physiology, and oxytocin, and their interplay with clinical pain symptoms and perception, in comparison to a patient wait-list active control. A total of 65 participants, including 50 chronic pain patients and 15 healthy controls, underwent salivary assays to assess endocrine markers, oxytocin, interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S). Psychological assessments were also conducted to evaluate aspects of pain perception, mindfulness, mood, and well-being. Findings revealed significant differences between chronic pain patients and healthy controls in various clinical metrics, highlighting the psychological distress experienced by patients. Following Mindfulness-Based Pain Management, oxytocin levels significantly increased in chronic pain patients, that was not observed in the patient wait-list control group. In contrast, cytokine and DHEA-S levels decreased (not to statistically significant margins) supporting anti-inflammatory effects of Mindfulness-Based Pain Management. The fact DHEA-S levels, a marker of stress, did attenuate but not to statistically meaningful levels, suggests that pain reduction was not solely related to stress reduction, and that oxytocin pathways may be more salient than previously considered. Psychological assessments demonstrated substantial improvements in pain perception and mood in the intervention group. These results contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in chronic pain management and underscore oxytocin's potential role as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oytun Aygün
- Laboratoire DysCo, Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, 93526 Saint-Denis, France;
| | - Emily Mohr
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
| | - Colin Duff
- Breathworks Foundation, Manchester M4 1DZ, UK
| | | | - Poppy Schoenberg
- Osher Center for Integrative Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37203, USA
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Pongrácz P, Lugosi CA, Szávai L, Gengeliczky A, Jégh-Czinege N, Faragó T. Alarm or emotion? intranasal oxytocin helps determine information conveyed by dog barks for adult male human listeners. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:8. [PMID: 38221611 PMCID: PMC10789012 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02198-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Barks play an important role in interspecific communication between dogs and humans, by allowing a reliable perception of the inner state of dogs for human listeners. However, there is growing concern in society regarding the nuisance that barking dogs cause to the surrounding inhabitants. We assumed that at least in part, this nuisance effect can be explained by particular communicative functions of dog barks. In this study we experimentally tested two separate hypotheses concerning how the content of dog barks could affect human listeners. According to the first hypothesis, barks that convey negative inner states, would especially cause stress in human listeners due to the process called interspecific empathy. Based on the second hypothesis, alarm-type dog barks cause particularly strong stress in the listener, by capitalizing on their specific acoustic makeup (high pitch, low tonality) that resembles to the parameters of a baby's cry. We tested 40 healthy, young adult males in a double-blind placebo controlled experiment, where participants received either intranasal oxytocin or placebo treatment. After an incubation period, they had to evaluate the (1) perceived emotions (happiness, fear and aggression), that specifically created dog bark sequences conveyed to them; and (2) score the annoyance level these dog barks elicited in them. RESULTS We found that oxytocin treatment had a sensitizing effect on the participants' reactions to negative valence emotions conveyed by dog barks, as they evaluated low fundamental frequency barks with higher aggression scores than the placebo-treated participants did. On the other hand, oxytocin treatment attenuated the annoyance that noisy (atonal) barks elicited from the participants. CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, we provide first-hand evidence that dog barks provide information to humans (which may also cause stress) in a dual way: through specific attention-grabbing functions and through emotional understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Pongrácz
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
| | - Csenge Anna Lugosi
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Luca Szávai
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Atina Gengeliczky
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Nikolett Jégh-Czinege
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Tamás Faragó
- Neuroethology of Communication Lab, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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O'Malley B, Linz R, Engert V, Singer T. Testing the monitor and acceptance theory: the role of training-induced changes in monitoring- and acceptance-related capacities after attention-based, socio-emotional, or socio-cognitive mental training in reducing cortisol stress reactivity. Stress 2024; 27:2345906. [PMID: 38841737 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2345906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions have become a popular means to reduce stress. However, the specific mechanisms driving observed stress reduction remain understudied. The Monitor and Acceptance Theory suggests that the cultivation of monitoring and acceptance skills are necessary moderators of practice-induced stress reduction. In the context of the ReSource Project, a large healthy adult sample underwent three 3-month mental training modules targeting either attentional (Presence module), socio-affective (Affect module) or socio-cognitive skills (Perspective module). In the current study, the development of a range of inter-individual differences in mindfulness-, interoception- and compassion-related traits - which mapped to either monitoring or acceptance categories - was tracked. The relationship of these training-induced changes with cortisol stress reactivity after the three distinct 3-month training modules was explored. We found that stress sensitivity was particularly modulated by a differential adaptivity of one cultivated attentional capacity - Attention regulation - which predicted higher cortisol reactivity after mere attention training (Presence) but was associated with lower stress-induced cortisol release after additional socio-affective and socio-cognitive practice (Affect and Perspective). However, this effect did not survive multiple comparisons correction, and analyses were limited by the sample size available. We conclude that our study provides preliminary support of the Monitor and Acceptance Theory, lending weight to the advantage of primary attentional increases in order to fully harness the beneficial effects of socio-affective training, ultimately leading to stress reduction. Although training-induced increases in acceptance were not directly shown to contribute to lowering cortisol stress reactivity, the data suggest an additional benefit of socio-affective and socio-cognitive training that is not directly captured within the current analyses. Our study corroborates the importance of going beyond the training of attention monitoring to foster stress resilience, and highlights that mental training relies on the co-development of several interacting processes to successfully attenuate stress. Further exploring the overarching concept of acceptance in future research may prove beneficial to the theoretical framework of MAT, and in understanding the processes by which stress reduction occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie O'Malley
- Independent Research Group "Social Stress and Family Health", Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roman Linz
- Independent Research Group "Social Stress and Family Health", Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Veronika Engert
- Independent Research Group "Social Stress and Family Health", Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Tania Singer
- Max Planck Society, Social Neuroscience Lab, Berlin, Germany
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Pichugina YA, Maksimova IV, Berezovskaya MA, Afanaseva NA, Pichugin AB, Dmitrenko DV, Timechko EE, Salmina AB, Lopatina OL. Salivary oxytocin in autistic patients and in patients with intellectual disability. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:969674. [PMID: 36506430 PMCID: PMC9729552 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.969674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Assessing the role of oxytocin (OT) in the regulation of social interaction is a promising area that opens up new opportunities for studying the mechanisms of developing autism spectrum disorders (ASD). AIM To assess the correlation between the salivary OT level and age-related and psychopathological symptoms of children with intellectual disability (ID) and ASD. METHODS We used the clinical and psychopathological method to assess the signs of ASD based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), the severity of ASD was specified by the selected Russian type version "Childhood Autism Rating Scale" (CARS). Patients of both groups had an IQ score below 70 points. RESULTS The median and interquartile range of salivary OT levels in patients with ID and ASD were 23.897 [14.260-59.643] pg/mL, and in the group ID without ASD - Me = 50.896 [33.502-83.774] pg/mL (p = 0.001). The severity of ASD on the CARS scale Me = 51.5 [40.75-56.0] score in the group ID with ASD, and in the group ID without ASD-at the level of Me = 32 [27.0-38.0] points (p < 0.001). According to the results of correlation-regression analysis in the main group, a direct correlation was established between salivary OT level and a high degree of severity of ASD Rho = 0.435 (p = 0.005). There was no correlation between the salivary OT level and intellectual development in the group ID with ASD, Rho = 0.013 (p = 0.941) and we have found a relationship between oxytocin and intellectual development in the group ID without ASD, Rho = 0.297 (p = 0.005). There was no correlation between salivary OT and age, ASD and age. CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that patients in the group ID with ASD demonstrated a lower level of salivary OT concentration and a direct relationship between the maximum values of this indicator and the severity of autistic disorders, in contrast to patients in the group ID without ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia A Pichugina
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Irina V Maksimova
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Marina A Berezovskaya
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Natalya A Afanaseva
- Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Aleksey B Pichugin
- Social Neuroscience Laboratory, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Diana V Dmitrenko
- Department of Medical Genetics of Clinical Neurophysiology, Institute of Postgraduate Education, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.,Medical Genetic Laboratory, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Elena E Timechko
- Medical Genetic Laboratory, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Alla B Salmina
- Laboratory of Experimental Brain Cytology, Department of Brain Studies, Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, Russia.,Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Olga L Lopatina
- Social Neuroscience Laboratory, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.,Department of Biochemistry, Medical, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry, Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
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