Differences in the Semantics of Prosocial Words: an Exploration of Compassion and Kindness

Abstract

Objectives The study of prosocial behaviour has accelerated greatly in the last 20 years. Researchers are exploring different domains of prosocial behaviour such as compassion, kindness, caring, cooperation, empathy, sympathy, love, altruism and morality. While these constructs can overlap, and are sometimes used interchangeably, they also have distinctive features that require careful elucidation. This paper discusses some of the controversies and complexities of describing different (prosocial) mental states, followed by a study investigating the differences between two related prosocial concepts: compassion and kindness. Methods For the study, a scenario-based questionnaire was developed to assess the degree to which a student (N = 222) and a community (N = 112) sample judged scenarios in terms of compassion or kindness. Subsequently, participants rated emotions (e.g. sadness, anxiety, anger, disgust, joy) associated with each scenario. Results Both groups clearly distinguished kindness from compassion in the scenarios on the basis of suffering. In addition, participants rated compassion-based scenarios as significantly higher on sadness, anger, anxiety and disgust, whereas kindnessbased scenarios had higher levels of joy. As a follow-up, a further sample (29 male, 63 female) also rated compassionate scenarios as involving significantly more suffering compared to the kindness scenarios. Conclusions Although overlapping concepts, compassion and kindness are clearly understood as different processes with different foci, competencies and emotion textures. This has implications for research in prosocial behaviour, and the cultivation of kindness and compassion for psychotherapy and in general.

Compassion Is Not a Benzo: Distinctive Associations of Heart Rate Variability With Its Empathic and Action Components

“…Recently, Gilbert and collaborators highlighted that kindness and compassion are associated with different emotions. Whereas kindness is generally associated with positive feelings, engaging in compassionate actions can give rise to a different emotional experience and affective states, mostly associated with anxiety, sadness, disgust, and anger (Gilbert et al, 2019). Consistently, the automatic analysis of spontaneous facial expressions in response to a short video eliciting compassion, showed that anger, disgust, sadness, and surprise occurred more often than fear, happiness, and contempt.…”

“…Compassion has been defined as a sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it (Gilbert, 2019); it does not refer to a positive emotional experience but to a suite of concrete prosocial behaviors, and may include positive emotional states such as kindness, empathy, generosity, and acceptance (Weidman and Tracy, 2020). Conversely, kindness is intended to create the conditions for happiness and prosperity; it does not require any sensitivity to and analysis of suffering (Gilbert et al, 2019).…”

Compassion-based interventions for people with long-term physical conditions: a mixed methods systematic review

“…While the terms loving-kindness (metta) and compassion are often conflated in the literature and loving-kindness practices may be part of compassion training, they are distinct concepts. Loving-kindness focuses on increasing well-being or positive affect, while compassion focuses on the alleviation and prevention of suffering (see Gilbert, Basran, MacArthur, & Kirby, 2019): hence loving-kindness and metta were not included as search terms. Finally, reference lists of relevant articles were screened and key authors were contacted for further studies to review.…”

Reduced Social Connectedness and Compassion Toward Close Others in Patients With Chronic Depression Compared to a Non-clinical Sample

“…On the other hand, and contrary to our expectations, compassion was not impaired toward strangers or other humans in general. A possible explanation of this discrepancy may be that compassion, as defined by “the sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it” [( 47 ), p. 2260], may affect the perception of social connectedness more in relationships to close others than to strangers.…”