Conclusions
A compassionate life is full of positive emotions and feelings of social closeness. These subjective
experiences, in addition to feeling pleasant, play an important role in the more far-reaching effects
of compassion on mental and physical health. To the extent that compassion leads to more
moments of positive emotion, mental health may improve. To the extent that compassion
increases feelings of closeness to others in the world, the body’s ability to regulate its balance of
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity may improve. In turn, these
improvements in mental and physical functioning may result in greater openness towards future
experiences of compassion.
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