Compassion in context: A contemplative neuroscience perspective on expanding compassion beyond the individual

Abstract

A central challenge in developing an epidemiology of compassion is establishing how to determine that compassion is “present” in an individual or population. To do so requires expanding beyond individualistic conceptions of compassion to consider how compassion might manifest in relationships, in communities, and within societies. This includes agreeing upon a definition that is flexible enough to span levels of analysis, and operationalizing how to identify and quantify compassion at each level. Some of these challenges are unique to the epidemiological framework, while others have been explored by researchers in contemplative studies, psychology, and neuroscience in the process of defining our own fields of compassion science. In this paper, I consider the insights from these related fields, and reflect on how they can be applied to an epidemiological framework. I give special consideration to the challenges of measuring a latent and emergent phenomenon, spanning levels of analysis, and defining compassionate action. I also consider how the related concepts of interdependence and common humanity might help identify key indicators of compassion at a population level. Finally, I propose a set of theoretical models that illustrate the levels at which compassion may emerge, and merge the epidemiological triad model with insights from compassion science to provide a framework for the study of compassion from an epidemiological perspective.