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Compassion. Bridging Practice and Science
Tania Singer of the Max Planck Institute has spearheaded a fantastic new resource for compassion enthusiasts. Compassion researchers and trainers have comp together and produced a free e-book compiling great information on compassion science and education. Some of our CCARE instructors and affiliated scientists have written chapters. You can find…
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Receiving and Giving: Perspectives on Philanthropy
I recently watched Dan Palotta’s TEDTalk and later spoke with him on a conference call related to a new compassion initiative of which I am a part. His talk reminded me of a number of my own experiences and the unique perspective as an entrepreneur who made (and lost) millions, who has…
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Stanford University Compassion & Technology Conference
Stanford center holds technology innovation competition and conference to promote public compassionate action. Scientists, engineers and social entrepreneurs to convene at Stanford University for discussion and contest on technology designed to enhance compassion. Stanford, CA – Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) is holding an inaugural Compassion…
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5 Ways to Do Good and Feel Good: Fast, Free, and From Your Desk
Compassion, in addition to making an incredible difference to those around you, is also one of the greatest secrets to health and happiness (as I described in this post). We know that helping others makes us feel good, but sometimes it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to engage…
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What Makes a Hero: The Surprising Science of Selflessness
What Makes a Hero: The Surprising Science of Selflessness by Elizabeth Svoboda highlights much of the scientific research and education conducted by CCARE. The book discusses the intersecting influences of biology, upbringing and external influences to produce altruistic and heroic behavior, and how to encourage this behavior in corporations, classrooms…
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Recruitment, Pre-employment Selection and Compassion
How many employees are scared at work? Is it fear of interacting with your boss, the new guy who may replace you, or dreading being laid off as a wonderfully nice but economically redundant employee? There are plenty of daily workplace interpersonal interactions that contribute to stress, the largest area…
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Are Women Really More Compassionate?
Yesterday, journalists at Huffington Post Live asked me to comment on whether women are more compassionate than men. Scientists in general tend to cringe at any strong black-and-white statements of this kind since we know there is no data to support such strong claims. If you ask a neuroscientist to distinguish a…
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Asian Students, Plagiarism Stereotypes and Compassion
A few years ago, I had an interesting interaction with a colleague. She described the lay of the academic terrain in the following manner: “Asian students are more likely to plagiarize than White students.” When asked why, my colleague explained that this was a basic truism of academia, based on…
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Compassion: Our First Instinct
Decades of clinical research has focused and shed light on the psychology of human suffering. That suffering, as unpleasant as it is, often also has a bright side to which research has paid less attention: compassion. Human suffering is often accompanied by beautiful acts of compassion by others wishing to…
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The Best Kept Secret to Longevity: Love
Look younger! Feel more vibrant! Boost your stamina! Live Longer! Those are the promises made to us by marketing gurus about countless products from facial creams to dietary supplements, from the latest diet trend to the newest fitness fad. Psychological research, however, points us to a far greater (and less expensive!) secret to longevity….