Abstract
Perhaps compassion and altruism have never been more important in a world that is at once chaotic and divided. But how can compassion be taught and incorporated into society for better health, connections and less division? The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, is tackling these challenging issues through innovative teaching, research, and trainings that promote compassion and altruism.
In an interview, James R. Doty, MD, a Stanford neurosurgeon, philanthropist, entrepreneur and Founder and Director of CCARE, said: “In a troubled world, it is becoming more and more evident that only with compassion will our species survive. Sadly, the modern world separates people from their humanity and causes stress, anxiety and depression as we become less connected and less caring.” He added, “What many don't realize is that compassion can be trained resulting in not only improved mental health but improved physical health and even an increase in longevity.”
Divisiveness and chaos in the world may be addressed by people's greater understanding of compassion and how to act on and share that with themselves and others. Dr. Doty stated: “One needs only to look around and see actions of our fellow humans promoting narratives of divisiveness and hate. By doing so, they are promoting fear which results in the increase in authoritarianism and repression.” He added, “People who are afraid or fearful want to look to someone who indicates that they can solve their problems. Fortunately, through the lens of compassion, fear can be converted to love, openness and acceptance. It is only through these actions that not only will we have healthy minds and bodies but healthy hearts.”
The Center
With the need for a greater presence and understanding of compassion in our world, CCARE came into being as a result of Dr. Doty's great enthusiasm for the need and interest in compassion and after a series of unique events at Stanford University. One of those events included a visit from His Holiness the Dalai Lama who dialogued with a group of Stanford neuroscientists about the fact that “a deep engagement between science, especially in the cognitive science disciplines of neuroscience and psychology, and Buddhism and other contemplative traditions could make significant contribution towards a deeper understanding of many important aspects of the human mind and emotion,” according to the CCARE website. 1
Dr. Doty organized an informal group of colleagues and began Project Compassion with a contemplative scholar to the Dalai Lama as the principal leader of the project. This endeavor led to the realization of the importance of establishing a more formal endeavor at Stanford, and with the encouragement of colleagues, the Dean of the Stanford School of Medicine, Phillip Pizzo, MD, Chairman of Neurosurgery and Director of the Stanford Institute of Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neurosciences, formally established CCARE in 2008, according to the website. Today, the Center also has a Director of Compassionate Sustainability, a Science Director and a Research Scientist.
The main goals of CCARE are to promote, support and conduct rigorous scientific studies of compassion and altruistic behavior. The website states that CCARE has “collaborated with a number of prominent neuroscientists, behavioral scientists, geneticists and biomedical researchers to closely examine the physiological and psychological correlates of compassion and altruism.” 1 CCARE's mission is to investigate methods for developing compassion and promoting altruism within individuals and society through rigorous research, scientific collaborations, academic conferences, compassion training programs, teacher trainings and educational public events and programs. According to Dr. Doty, “The target audience for the work of CCARE is every human. That being said, we have programs targeted for the lay public, academics, students, office workers, corporate executives, healthcare workers and first responders.”
Programs
As mentioned above, there are a variety of interesting programs and endeavors taking place at CCARE. Dr. Doty commented: “One of the most exciting programs is our online Applied Compassion Training Program, which is an 11-month long certificate program for those in the meditation and well-being and corporate and healthcare spaces, and participants currently represent over 60 countries. We train people to be ‘Ambassadors of Compassion’ who we mentor on a Capstone project, which they implement at their home institution or organization.”
CCARE developed the Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) Program and an associated CCT Teacher Training Program, which has trained thousands of students and hundreds of teachers, according to Dr. Doty. The training has been recently updated, which is now called the Cultivating the Heart Compassion Training Program.
CCARE also sponsors academic lectureships from both senior and junior academics who focus their work on compassion, empathy and altruism. CCARE offers a Conversations on Compassion Series with religious and spiritual leaders, business leaders, authors, scientists and many others. Speakers have included the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Amma, Steve Luczo (former CEO of Seagate), Scott Kriens (former CEO of Juniper Networks and founder of the 1440 Foundation), Paul Ekman, PhD (psychologist), Phil Zimbardo, PhD (psychologist), Werner Erhard and numerous others.
Compassion training is provided through the Stanford University's various wellness programs including those for undergraduates, medical students, graduate students, fellows and residents and faculty. Dr. Doty said, “One needs only to look at the Capstone projects that have been implemented as a result of the Stanford CCARE ACT program, and many of these have been life changing.”
Research
The research on compassion and altruism is increasing with its focus in a variety of areas. Published research supported by CCARE scientists is listed on their website. One study looked at the effects of the CCT on various aspects of burnout and job satisfaction in health care workers. 2 Specifically, this study explored whether CCT reduces work-related burnout, interpersonal conflict, as well as increases of mindfulness, compassion toward the self, fears of compassion and job satisfaction scores. Results of the study showed significant improvements in participants' self-compassion, mindfulness, and interpersonal conflict scores. The authors concluded, “This training may promote mental health resilience in health-care workers, improve patient care and may be helpful in burnout prevention.” 2
Another study, compared to a wait-list control group, looked at the effects of a nine-week CCT on mindfulness, affect and emotion regulation. 3 Participants included 100 adults from the community who were randomized to one of the two groups. Results showed that compared to the wait list group, participants in the CCT group experienced increased mindfulness and happiness and decreased worry and emotional suppression. The authors concluded that “compassion cultivation training effects cognitive and emotion factors that support psychological flexible and adaptive training.” 3
Dr. Doty commented on the impact of the studies conducted by the Center and stated: “Our research has demonstrated the impact of compassion training not only on the individual but on those around them including their family, their co-workers and those they interact with. Once someone is able to be compassionate to themselves, it changes how they interact with the world at large because they realize that everyone in some way is suffering.”
Conclusion
CCARE is actively changing the world, one person at a time, to increase awareness and understanding of compassion and altruism. As people engage in compassion trainings and teachings, they spread their gained knowledge to many more, and in the long run this can help ease challenging personal and current local and world situations. In terms of hopes for the future, Dr. Doty hopes, “That through CCARE, and the number of other programs that focus on promoting compassion, we can improve people's lives and by doing so make the world a better place for all of us.”▪