In this episode, Wendy speaks with social neuroscientist and contemplative researcher Tania Singer. Tania is a world leader in studying empathy and compassion, and her pioneering work explores the interpersonal aspects of the brain and contemplative practice. This conversation covers many topics, including:
- her lifelong fascination with social interactions;
- foundational studies on empathy in the brain;
- distinguishing the physical vs. emotional aspects of pain;
- a chance meeting with Mind & Life and critical insights from a Buddhism-science collaboration;
- the difference between emotion contagion, empathy, and compassion;
- exploring the trainability of empathy and compassion;
- schadenfreude in the brain;
- empathy burnout and compassion as an antidote;
- the importance of correlating subjective reports with brain scans;
- a landmark longitudinal study of training different aspects of meditation;
- why what you practice really matters;
- contemplative dyads and the power of practicing with another person;
- the benefits of dyads for the negative effects of COVID lockdown;
- moving dyad work into schools and hospitals;
- shifting from studying individual change to systems change;
- and the role of contemplative science amidst current societal challenges.
Full show notes and resources