psyche
Empathy Improvement
Empathy Improvement is a psyche-related effect describing greater empathy toward other people. It may be noticed as more compassion and patience, along with a more collegial and egalitarian approach to leadership.
See how Empathy Improvement is framed as a psyche-related effect.
These are research findings, not promises. Most options have little evidence, and results differ from person to person.
What may help
What studies found for each option, best evidence first.
8 options:2 some evidence1 mixed1 not enough evidence1 not tested in people2 personal stories only1 no benefit found
Mindfulness MeditationpracticeSome evidence it helpsSize of effect: Not known
Some human studies found a benefit. More research could change this.
All 6 studies with a clear result found a benefit. Strongest study: a randomized controlled trial.
A review reported increased empathy after training among 32 participants. A separate trial found that living with a partner predicted a steeper increase in a compassion measure; this does not establish a general effect on empathy.
Open the Mindfulness Meditation pageMeditationpracticeSome evidence it helpsSize of effect: Not known
Some human studies found a benefit. More research could change this.
All 2 studies with a clear result found a benefit. Strongest study: a randomized controlled trial.
Open the Meditation pageLoving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)practiceMixed resultsSize of effect: Not known
Studies disagree: some found a benefit, others found none. Do not count on it.
3 of 5 studies found a benefit; 2 found none. Strongest study: a randomized controlled trial.
A randomized trial of 50 people found a 2.72-point difference in complex understanding of others at post-test. A separate pilot study of 48 people found that empathy improved only for people with impairment in the inaccessible condition.
Open the Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta) pageHatha YogapracticeNot enough evidence
Too few or too small studies to know if it works.
The one study found a benefit. Strongest study: a non-randomized trial.
Open the Hatha Yoga pagePsychotherapypracticeNot tested in people
Only tested in animals, cells or theory. Results like these often do not carry over to people.
The one study found a benefit.
Expert knowledge suggests psychotherapy can enhance empathy and perspective-taking; human evidence is not available for this claim.
Open the Psychotherapy pageFocused Attention MeditationpracticeOnly personal stories
Only people's own stories online. No study has tested it.
Based on one study.
Open the Focused Attention Meditation pageYoga NidrapracticeOnly personal stories
Only people's own stories online. No study has tested it.
Based on one study.
Open the Yoga Nidra pageDancepracticeNo benefit found
Studies looked for a benefit and did not find one.
The one study found no benefit. Strongest study: a randomized controlled trial.
An RCT involving 59 people found no significant difference in compassion for others; the between-group result was not reported, so the study did not support an empathy improvement.
Open the Dance page
Comparing practices
- Mindfulness MeditationSome evidence it helps3 trials
- MeditationSome evidence it helps2 trials
- Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)Mixed results2 trials
The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.
What may help
Linked to improving it8 listedStart here
Most likely to help, from the evidence we have
- →PracticesMindfulness MeditationCertaintyMediumSourceClinical7 other sources
A review reported increased empathy after training among 32 participants. A separate trial found that living with a partner predicted a steeper increase in a compassion measure; this does not establish a general effect on empathy.
Who was studied
- People with a condition
Open Mindfulness MeditationStudy result
Gozalo et al. ... Enhanced empathy and self-compassion post-training (JES).
- →PracticesLoving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)CertaintyMediumSourceClinical6 other sources
A randomized trial of 50 people found a 2.72-point difference in complex understanding of others at post-test. A separate pilot study of 48 people found that empathy improved only for people with impairment in the inaccessible condition.
Who was studied
- Healthy people and patients
- Depression
Open Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta)Study result
Complex understanding of others: posttest 13.20±1.19, Cohen's d=1.22, t=-11.30, P=0.000; interaction F(1,48)=64.66
- →PracticesMeditationCertaintyMediumSourceClinical3 other sources
In an RCT involving 80 healthy participants, the only significant pathway to compassion and relief was an indirect one through mindfulness and decentering (B = 0.260, 95% CI [0.058, 0.532]); this is not a direct measure of empathy.
Who was studied
- Healthy people
Open MeditationStudy result
connectedness to nature (F[1, 171] = 6.838, p < .05, partial η² = .038); CNS scores between pre- and posttests differed only for the intervention group (p < .001), not for the control group (p = .137)
Low probability(4)
- →PracticesHatha YogaCertaintyLowSourceClinical1 other source
A quasi-experimental study with 32 healthy participants found compassion scores increased after an eight-week Hatha Yoga program (mean 25.57±7.42 to 27.93±5.27, g=0.35).
Who was studied
- Healthy people
Open Hatha YogaStudy result
There was an increase in levels of compassion (p<0.050) after completing the eight-week Hatha-Yoga program (Table 2: mean 25.57±7.42 to 27.93±5.27, g=0.35)
- →PracticesFocused Attention MeditationCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
This effect was mentioned in 3 of 237 Reddit reports discussing it.
- →PracticesYoga NidraCertaintyLowSourceAnecdotal1 other source
This effect was mentioned in 2 of 298 Reddit reports discussing it.
- →PracticesPsychotherapyCertaintyLowSourceTheoretical1 other source
Expert knowledge suggests psychotherapy can enhance empathy and perspective-taking; human evidence is not available for this claim.
Open PsychotherapyStudy result
Psychotherapy can enhance empathy and perspective-taking.
Very low probability(1)
- →PracticesDanceCertaintyVery lowSourceClinical1 other source
An RCT involving 59 people found no significant difference in compassion for others (paired t-test p=0.09); the between-group result was not reported, so the study did not support an empathy improvement.
Practices compared
Practices with at least one trial of their own for this goal. Ranked by how sure the evidence is, then effect size.| Practice | How sure | Effect size | Own trials | What worked in trials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness Meditation | CertaintyMediumSourceClinical | 3 trials or pooled analyses | 4–7 weeks | |
| Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta) | CertaintyMediumSourceClinical | 2 trials or pooled analyses | ||
| Meditation | CertaintyMediumSourceClinical | 2 trials or pooled analyses | 10–50 min | |
| Hatha Yoga | CertaintyLowSourceClinical | 1 trial or pooled analysis |
What worked in trials: From the smallest to the typical amount in the trials that found this benefit. Not the most anyone did, not a target and not a limit.
How to read the evidence
Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound
- StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
- ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
- PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
- LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
- InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.
Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real
- Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
- HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
- MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
- LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
- Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence
Source — where the data comes from
- Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
- RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
- ClinicalA human clinical study
- Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
- Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
- Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
- TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested
Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)
- AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
- BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
- CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
- DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only
Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding
A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement
Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.
Full write-up
What is it
Empathy Improvement is a psyche-related effect describing greater empathy toward other people. It may be noticed as more compassion and patience, along with a more collegial and egalitarian approach to leadership. This outcome concerns interpersonal understanding and responsiveness; it is distinct from changes in mood, memory, or general social activity.
How interventions help
Interventions linked with empathy improvement differ in both what was observed and how the effect was described. Meditation was associated with broader changes involving empathy, compassion, and patience, along with a more collegial and egalitarian approach to leadership. This suggests an outcome that may extend beyond a single empathy measure into interpersonal attitudes and behavior.
CBD (Cannabidiol) was associated with improvement on the SRS-2, with whole-plant extract producing a larger change than placebo. The finding therefore concerns a measured change rather than only a general impression, although it does not establish that the same change will occur for everyone.
Bacopa Monnieri and Saffron Extract were linked to empathy-related improvements in personal reports. For both, the recorded onset category was days, and the intervention details did not require daily use. These reports describe relatively quick changes, but they do not explain whether an effect would persist after stopping or whether continued use would be needed to maintain it.
Across these interventions, the observations range from broader interpersonal themes to a measured SRS-2 change and individual reports. The health status of the people studied was not specified, so the findings should not be assumed to apply equally across different populations or circumstances.
Choosing guidance
Meditation is the clearest choice for someone who wants an option supported by human research. However, the strongest study design listed is cross-sectional, so the findings describe relationships at a point in time rather than proving that meditation itself caused the change. It may therefore be more suitable for readers comfortable with evidence that is informative but not conclusive.
Bacopa Monnieri and Saffron Extract are supported only by anecdotal reports here. Their timing is described as days, but the evidence does not establish how much is needed, how long any effect lasts, or whether the reported change would be consistent across people. These options may be of interest to someone specifically comparing anecdotal approaches, but they provide a weaker basis for decisions than human clinical research.
CBD (Cannabidiol) includes a measured outcome, yet it is not classified here as having human evidence. That distinction matters: a reported result alone does not show that the finding is dependable or broadly applicable. No onset information is provided for CBD, and no dose or duration comparison is available for any option. Overall, the options cannot be ranked confidently by speed, amount required, or persistence of benefit; the main meaningful distinction is between Meditation’s human research basis and the anecdotal support attached to the other options.