Compassion

Scientists have started to map the biological basis of compassion, suggesting its deep evolutionary purpose. This research has shown that when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the “bonding hormone” oxytocin, and regions of the brain linked to empathy, caregiving,and feelings of pleasure light up, which often results in our wanting to approach and care for other people.

Human babies are the most vulnerable offspring on the face of the Earth. And that simple fact changed everything. It rearranged our social structures, building cooperative networks of caretaking, and it rearranged our nervous systems. We became the super caregiving species, to the point where acts of care improve our physical health and lengthen our lives. We are born to be good to each other.

You can see our natural connectivity and compassionate instincts in how our brains react to pain. Let’s say I pinch or burn your skin—the anterior cingulate region of your brain will light up. But it’s not just your own pain. If you see somebody else suffering, that very same part of the cortex activates. We have the same pain response to other people’s pain as we do to our own experience of pain. We are wired to empathise, if you will.

That’s not the only part of the brain that lights up when we see images of suffering and distress. The amygdala—the brain’s threat detector—activates, which is no surprise since we might worry the suffering will come our way.

We can find another example of how our bodies are wired for compassion in a fascinating part of your autonomic nervous system called the vagus nerve. 

Recent studies suggest the vagus nerve is related to a stronger immune system response and regulates your inflammation response to disease.The vagus nerve is one of the great mind-body nexuses in the human nervous system. Every time you take a deep breath, your heart rate slows down. You see elite athletes do this before the all-important action—they breathe out to calm down, just before they start their windup. The vagus nerve controls that relationship, between the breathing and the calming.

Compassion is essential to our evolutionary history, it defines who we are as a species, and it serves our greatest needs as individuals—to survive, and to connect.

Understanding that compassion is important for survival, it becomes a necessity, not a luxury. 

My invitation to you this week is simply to OBSERVE the effects of compassion on you.

This can be when you watch a film with compassionate scenes, or when you are the giver or receiver of an act of compassion. Be compassionate to yourself - nothing must, all can, just observe.

Have a loving week.

With love and light

Mel

Source:

The Compassionate Species | Greater Good (berkeley.edu)