![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Com_Com_2.png\")
Compassionate tribes survived the ages<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn 1871, Charles Darwin argued in the \u2018Descent of Man<\/em>\u2019 and I quote, \u2018Sympathy would have increased through natural selection; for those communities, which included the greatest number of the most sympathetic members, would flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring<\/em>\u2019. What he basically argued was that tribes and groups that showed more compassion towards each other would have survived better and therefore it is a trait that has actually been kept alive by the rules of survival of the fittest.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCompassion is still one of the most important drivers of choosing a romantic partner<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnother proof that compassion and kindness are traits that have flourished over the millions of years is a research done by David Buss from the University of Texas. He surveyed more than 10,000 people across 37 countries and found that kindness was a major engine of attraction in partnering romantic relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kindness does not have to be taught to kids<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nNancy Eisenberg and Kochanska found in a research that 18-month old children reach out to help an adult who accidentally drops something on the floor. Before, society sweeps in to mold the minds of these young ones, the instinct is to help someone to whatever capacity you can!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kindness is contagious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhat started with James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis in their book called Connected was taken further by Simone Schnall who conducted studies that showed that seeing someone perform acts of generosity motivated the observer to be more generous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Holds us Back from Being More Compassionate?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\")
Image by Wokandapix<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhile compassion is biologically embedded in us via evolution, it is one of the most plastic aspects of our existence. It can be molded by environment and upbringing far easily than some of the other more stubborn genetic traits. Secure relationship with parents, a trauma-less upbringing, and an environment of compassion create kind and compassionate people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a very broad level, I would say that our society has moved towards a more individualistic approach over time. Some of the things that keep us from being more compassionate are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possible Personal Loss<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Paranoia about possible personal loss (in the area of health, finances, power, or relationships) has led to us thinking about our own benefit and maybe the benefit of a few people in our close circle of friends and family. The worry is caused and increased by the kind of things that we see around us, which brings me to the next point\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nHeightened Paranoia<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The media brings is a much larger proportion of stories of horror than stories of compassion, heroism or kindness. There are many more unsung heroes than we can possibly imagine because almost all the we hear about are atrocities meted out by the powerful, inhuman sufferings of the downtrodden, and unfairness of rules towards some groups. On the other hand, we are exposed to the grand lifestyles of those who have made it in life. The lesson that most of us take away is that being selfish and competing at all costs gets you success!<\/p>\n\n\n\nLack of Time<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The good Samaritan study conducted by Batson and Darley showed that those who were not in a rush to get someplace or finish something were 6 times more likely to help someone in need. With the current lifestyle that we have all adopted in the recent times, where do you think there is time for giving the other person some thought, let alone help in the case of need?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAggressive Video Games<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 While this may be a controversial claim, Bushman and Andersen have conducted studies that playing gory and violent video games numbs and saturates young minds to an extent that they feel less empathetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGroup Differences<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Empathy and compassion is known to be higher among specific groups. One is less likely to help people of a different color, race, country, religious belief, or identified group. There is concerted effort towards reducing this kind of bias and transcending the barrier but more noise is being made about this than what is actually translating into actual thought and behavior (because it is sacrilegious to say something racist people don\u2019t, but they may not still actually believe it or feel it).<\/p>\n\n\n\nConfidence<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 This last one is a big one because it harms from the inside. While a lot of people feel compassionate, they have the inner critic that tells them that they are not capable of making a difference. Some charities believe that by explicitly showing what a specific donation can get for a community or a child or an aged, the likelihood increases. This happens since people become aware of what they \u2018can\u2019 achieve by contributing what they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCompassion May Be Innate But What\u2019s in it For You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGiven how we think these days, it is imperative that the above question be answered. Unbeknownst to most of us, compassion has a whole bunch of benefits. It leads to one of the things that almost everyone seems to be seeking today (albeit in the wrong direction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hooria Jazaieri\u2019s study showed that merely thinking compassionate thoughts increases happiness levels dramatically. Neuroscientists James Rilling and Gregory Berns showed that when subjects were gicen a chance to help others, the areas in the brain that lit up are the same as those that light up when you receive rewards or recognition. Basically, indicating that compassion leads to a feeling of reward. Compassion also stimulates the vagal tone that is mainly indicative of less stress and higher levels of relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doing acts of compassion set up a positive loop wherein compassion creates happiness and happiness leads to more compassionate acts. It is a self-sustaining cycle of the one state everyone is running behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compassion also brings along less loneliness, lower chances of depression, stronger immune system, better heart health (twice as much as aspirin), fewer body aches, and reduces existential crisis. Studies have shown that those who volunteer for 2 or more charities reduce their chances of death by 44%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I end with an ancient Chinese proverb:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a day, go fishing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a month, get married. (though research shows that marriage gives you happiness for 2 years on average)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"These COVID-19 times are tough and the universe is sending us a message that as a species we are not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,13,181,182,79,187,188],"class_list":["post-1294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-development","tag-compassion","tag-competition","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-happiness","tag-human-behavior","tag-pursuit-of-happiness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Compassion is still one of the most important drivers of choosing a romantic partner<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnother proof that compassion and kindness are traits that have flourished over the millions of years is a research done by David Buss from the University of Texas. He surveyed more than 10,000 people across 37 countries and found that kindness was a major engine of attraction in partnering romantic relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kindness does not have to be taught to kids<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nNancy Eisenberg and Kochanska found in a research that 18-month old children reach out to help an adult who accidentally drops something on the floor. Before, society sweeps in to mold the minds of these young ones, the instinct is to help someone to whatever capacity you can!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kindness is contagious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhat started with James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis in their book called Connected was taken further by Simone Schnall who conducted studies that showed that seeing someone perform acts of generosity motivated the observer to be more generous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Holds us Back from Being More Compassionate?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage by Wokandapix<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhile compassion is biologically embedded in us via evolution, it is one of the most plastic aspects of our existence. It can be molded by environment and upbringing far easily than some of the other more stubborn genetic traits. Secure relationship with parents, a trauma-less upbringing, and an environment of compassion create kind and compassionate people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a very broad level, I would say that our society has moved towards a more individualistic approach over time. Some of the things that keep us from being more compassionate are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possible Personal Loss<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Paranoia about possible personal loss (in the area of health, finances, power, or relationships) has led to us thinking about our own benefit and maybe the benefit of a few people in our close circle of friends and family. The worry is caused and increased by the kind of things that we see around us, which brings me to the next point\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nHeightened Paranoia<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The media brings is a much larger proportion of stories of horror than stories of compassion, heroism or kindness. There are many more unsung heroes than we can possibly imagine because almost all the we hear about are atrocities meted out by the powerful, inhuman sufferings of the downtrodden, and unfairness of rules towards some groups. On the other hand, we are exposed to the grand lifestyles of those who have made it in life. The lesson that most of us take away is that being selfish and competing at all costs gets you success!<\/p>\n\n\n\nLack of Time<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The good Samaritan study conducted by Batson and Darley showed that those who were not in a rush to get someplace or finish something were 6 times more likely to help someone in need. With the current lifestyle that we have all adopted in the recent times, where do you think there is time for giving the other person some thought, let alone help in the case of need?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAggressive Video Games<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 While this may be a controversial claim, Bushman and Andersen have conducted studies that playing gory and violent video games numbs and saturates young minds to an extent that they feel less empathetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGroup Differences<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Empathy and compassion is known to be higher among specific groups. One is less likely to help people of a different color, race, country, religious belief, or identified group. There is concerted effort towards reducing this kind of bias and transcending the barrier but more noise is being made about this than what is actually translating into actual thought and behavior (because it is sacrilegious to say something racist people don\u2019t, but they may not still actually believe it or feel it).<\/p>\n\n\n\nConfidence<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 This last one is a big one because it harms from the inside. While a lot of people feel compassionate, they have the inner critic that tells them that they are not capable of making a difference. Some charities believe that by explicitly showing what a specific donation can get for a community or a child or an aged, the likelihood increases. This happens since people become aware of what they \u2018can\u2019 achieve by contributing what they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCompassion May Be Innate But What\u2019s in it For You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGiven how we think these days, it is imperative that the above question be answered. Unbeknownst to most of us, compassion has a whole bunch of benefits. It leads to one of the things that almost everyone seems to be seeking today (albeit in the wrong direction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hooria Jazaieri\u2019s study showed that merely thinking compassionate thoughts increases happiness levels dramatically. Neuroscientists James Rilling and Gregory Berns showed that when subjects were gicen a chance to help others, the areas in the brain that lit up are the same as those that light up when you receive rewards or recognition. Basically, indicating that compassion leads to a feeling of reward. Compassion also stimulates the vagal tone that is mainly indicative of less stress and higher levels of relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doing acts of compassion set up a positive loop wherein compassion creates happiness and happiness leads to more compassionate acts. It is a self-sustaining cycle of the one state everyone is running behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compassion also brings along less loneliness, lower chances of depression, stronger immune system, better heart health (twice as much as aspirin), fewer body aches, and reduces existential crisis. Studies have shown that those who volunteer for 2 or more charities reduce their chances of death by 44%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I end with an ancient Chinese proverb:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a day, go fishing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a month, get married. (though research shows that marriage gives you happiness for 2 years on average)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"These COVID-19 times are tough and the universe is sending us a message that as a species we are not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,13,181,182,79,187,188],"class_list":["post-1294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-development","tag-compassion","tag-competition","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-happiness","tag-human-behavior","tag-pursuit-of-happiness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Nancy Eisenberg and Kochanska found in a research that 18-month old children reach out to help an adult who accidentally drops something on the floor. Before, society sweeps in to mold the minds of these young ones, the instinct is to help someone to whatever capacity you can!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kindness is contagious<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhat started with James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis in their book called Connected was taken further by Simone Schnall who conducted studies that showed that seeing someone perform acts of generosity motivated the observer to be more generous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Holds us Back from Being More Compassionate?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage by Wokandapix<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhile compassion is biologically embedded in us via evolution, it is one of the most plastic aspects of our existence. It can be molded by environment and upbringing far easily than some of the other more stubborn genetic traits. Secure relationship with parents, a trauma-less upbringing, and an environment of compassion create kind and compassionate people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a very broad level, I would say that our society has moved towards a more individualistic approach over time. Some of the things that keep us from being more compassionate are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possible Personal Loss<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Paranoia about possible personal loss (in the area of health, finances, power, or relationships) has led to us thinking about our own benefit and maybe the benefit of a few people in our close circle of friends and family. The worry is caused and increased by the kind of things that we see around us, which brings me to the next point\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nHeightened Paranoia<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The media brings is a much larger proportion of stories of horror than stories of compassion, heroism or kindness. There are many more unsung heroes than we can possibly imagine because almost all the we hear about are atrocities meted out by the powerful, inhuman sufferings of the downtrodden, and unfairness of rules towards some groups. On the other hand, we are exposed to the grand lifestyles of those who have made it in life. The lesson that most of us take away is that being selfish and competing at all costs gets you success!<\/p>\n\n\n\nLack of Time<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The good Samaritan study conducted by Batson and Darley showed that those who were not in a rush to get someplace or finish something were 6 times more likely to help someone in need. With the current lifestyle that we have all adopted in the recent times, where do you think there is time for giving the other person some thought, let alone help in the case of need?<\/p>\n\n\n\nAggressive Video Games<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 While this may be a controversial claim, Bushman and Andersen have conducted studies that playing gory and violent video games numbs and saturates young minds to an extent that they feel less empathetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGroup Differences<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Empathy and compassion is known to be higher among specific groups. One is less likely to help people of a different color, race, country, religious belief, or identified group. There is concerted effort towards reducing this kind of bias and transcending the barrier but more noise is being made about this than what is actually translating into actual thought and behavior (because it is sacrilegious to say something racist people don\u2019t, but they may not still actually believe it or feel it).<\/p>\n\n\n\nConfidence<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 This last one is a big one because it harms from the inside. While a lot of people feel compassionate, they have the inner critic that tells them that they are not capable of making a difference. Some charities believe that by explicitly showing what a specific donation can get for a community or a child or an aged, the likelihood increases. This happens since people become aware of what they \u2018can\u2019 achieve by contributing what they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCompassion May Be Innate But What\u2019s in it For You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGiven how we think these days, it is imperative that the above question be answered. Unbeknownst to most of us, compassion has a whole bunch of benefits. It leads to one of the things that almost everyone seems to be seeking today (albeit in the wrong direction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hooria Jazaieri\u2019s study showed that merely thinking compassionate thoughts increases happiness levels dramatically. Neuroscientists James Rilling and Gregory Berns showed that when subjects were gicen a chance to help others, the areas in the brain that lit up are the same as those that light up when you receive rewards or recognition. Basically, indicating that compassion leads to a feeling of reward. Compassion also stimulates the vagal tone that is mainly indicative of less stress and higher levels of relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doing acts of compassion set up a positive loop wherein compassion creates happiness and happiness leads to more compassionate acts. It is a self-sustaining cycle of the one state everyone is running behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compassion also brings along less loneliness, lower chances of depression, stronger immune system, better heart health (twice as much as aspirin), fewer body aches, and reduces existential crisis. Studies have shown that those who volunteer for 2 or more charities reduce their chances of death by 44%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I end with an ancient Chinese proverb:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a day, go fishing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a month, get married. (though research shows that marriage gives you happiness for 2 years on average)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"These COVID-19 times are tough and the universe is sending us a message that as a species we are not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,13,181,182,79,187,188],"class_list":["post-1294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-development","tag-compassion","tag-competition","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-happiness","tag-human-behavior","tag-pursuit-of-happiness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Com_Com_3.jpeg\")
While compassion is biologically embedded in us via evolution, it is one of the most plastic aspects of our existence. It can be molded by environment and upbringing far easily than some of the other more stubborn genetic traits. Secure relationship with parents, a trauma-less upbringing, and an environment of compassion create kind and compassionate people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a very broad level, I would say that our society has moved towards a more individualistic approach over time. Some of the things that keep us from being more compassionate are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possible Personal Loss<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Paranoia about possible personal loss (in the area of health, finances, power, or relationships) has led to us thinking about our own benefit and maybe the benefit of a few people in our close circle of friends and family. The worry is caused and increased by the kind of things that we see around us, which brings me to the next point\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heightened Paranoia<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The media brings is a much larger proportion of stories of horror than stories of compassion, heroism or kindness. There are many more unsung heroes than we can possibly imagine because almost all the we hear about are atrocities meted out by the powerful, inhuman sufferings of the downtrodden, and unfairness of rules towards some groups. On the other hand, we are exposed to the grand lifestyles of those who have made it in life. The lesson that most of us take away is that being selfish and competing at all costs gets you success!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lack of Time<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 The good Samaritan study conducted by Batson and Darley showed that those who were not in a rush to get someplace or finish something were 6 times more likely to help someone in need. With the current lifestyle that we have all adopted in the recent times, where do you think there is time for giving the other person some thought, let alone help in the case of need?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aggressive Video Games<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 While this may be a controversial claim, Bushman and Andersen have conducted studies that playing gory and violent video games numbs and saturates young minds to an extent that they feel less empathetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Group Differences<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Empathy and compassion is known to be higher among specific groups. One is less likely to help people of a different color, race, country, religious belief, or identified group. There is concerted effort towards reducing this kind of bias and transcending the barrier but more noise is being made about this than what is actually translating into actual thought and behavior (because it is sacrilegious to say something racist people don\u2019t, but they may not still actually believe it or feel it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Confidence<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 This last one is a big one because it harms from the inside. While a lot of people feel compassionate, they have the inner critic that tells them that they are not capable of making a difference. Some charities believe that by explicitly showing what a specific donation can get for a community or a child or an aged, the likelihood increases. This happens since people become aware of what they \u2018can\u2019 achieve by contributing what they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given how we think these days, it is imperative that the above question be answered. Unbeknownst to most of us, compassion has a whole bunch of benefits. It leads to one of the things that almost everyone seems to be seeking today (albeit in the wrong direction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hooria Jazaieri\u2019s study showed that merely thinking compassionate thoughts increases happiness levels dramatically. Neuroscientists James Rilling and Gregory Berns showed that when subjects were gicen a chance to help others, the areas in the brain that lit up are the same as those that light up when you receive rewards or recognition. Basically, indicating that compassion leads to a feeling of reward. Compassion also stimulates the vagal tone that is mainly indicative of less stress and higher levels of relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doing acts of compassion set up a positive loop wherein compassion creates happiness and happiness leads to more compassionate acts. It is a self-sustaining cycle of the one state everyone is running behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compassion also brings along less loneliness, lower chances of depression, stronger immune system, better heart health (twice as much as aspirin), fewer body aches, and reduces existential crisis. Studies have shown that those who volunteer for 2 or more charities reduce their chances of death by 44%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I end with an ancient Chinese proverb:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want happiness for a month, get married. (though research shows that marriage gives you happiness for 2 years on average)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" These COVID-19 times are tough and the universe is sending us a message that as a species we are not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,13,181,182,79,187,188],"class_list":["post-1294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-development","tag-compassion","tag-competition","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-happiness","tag-human-behavior","tag-pursuit-of-happiness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiwanigurwara.com\/oldsite2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Compassion May Be Innate But What\u2019s in it For You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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