This practice is part of the
Time Required
7 minutes daily
How to Do It
This practice draws on a guided meditation created by Eve Ekman PhD, LCSW, Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center..
We recommend listening to the audio of this guided meditation in the player below. We have included a script of the practice to help you follow it yourself or teach it to others.
Body Position
For this practice, it's especially important that we find a comfortable position. This will be easiest lying down or seated.
To help us focus and gain some initial stability, let's bring our attention and awareness to the breath at the belly. Inhale, noticing sensations of breath. Exhale, noticing sensations of breath, as the belly rises and falls.
Receiving Loving-Kindness
We'll now shift into this practice of joy, by bringing to mind someone who we really believe has our best interests in their heart. Someone who has extended kindness and support to us. This could be someone we know now or someone from the past. A friend, family member, teacher, colleague.
Choose just one person and bring them to mind as though they were seated right in front of you. Smiling at you.
Imagine them truly wishing for you to be happy, fulfilled. For you to have a life that is flourishing. Imagine them beaming this towards you in their smile, in their eyes. And with your next breaths, inhale and draw in that intention of goodness.
In meditation and visualization practices, we have an opportunity to generate positive emotional states right here and now that we might experience in the world where this person really next to us. Simply through our mind and imagination, it's as though we can call upon this valuable resource right here, right now. So for a couple more breaths, really take in this wish of well, happiness, joy from this person who cherishes us.
Sending Loving-Kindness to Loved Ones
Now letting go of the image of this person, notice if in the body there is any emotional residue. Feelings of warmth or goodness. Ways we can identify what it's like to receive this wish of happiness. Then relax into these sensations and feelings for just a couple breaths.
With this feeling of support and happiness, we can now extend this boost of joy to others. Bring to mind someone in your life who could really use an extra boost—a friend, family member, or colleague. And again, bring them to mind vividly as though they were right in front of you.
And without too many stories, or thoughts, or ideas—just call upon this experience of wishing this person to be truly happy, fulfilled, joyful. As you inhale, draw in this intention. And as you exhale, wish this person happiness, fulfillment, flourishing.
Twice more—inhale, drawing in this intention. And then exhale, sending out.
Release the image of this person. And once again, just notice the sensations in your own body associated with wishing someone else well, generating and extending joy.
Let's bring this practice to a close with three long inhales and three long exhales.
Why You Should Try It
Practicing kindness is one of the most direct routes to happiness: Research suggests that kind people tend to be more satisfied with their relationships and with their lives in general. We all have a natural capacity for kindness, but sometimes we don’t take steps to nurture and express this capacity as much as we could.
Loving-kindness meditation (sometimes called “metta” meditation) is a great way to cultivate our propensity for kindness. It involves mentally sending goodwill, kindness, and warmth towards others by silently repeating a series of mantras.
Why It Works
Loving-kindness meditation increases happiness in part by making people feel more connected to others—to loved ones, acquaintances, and even strangers. Research suggests that when people practice loving-kindness meditation regularly, they start automatically reacting more positively to others—and their social interactions and close relationships become more satisfying. Loving-kindness meditation can also reduce people’s focus on themselves—which can, in turn, lower symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Evidence That It Works
Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1045-1062.
People who practiced Loving-Kindness Meditation daily for seven weeks reported a steady increase in their daily experience of positive emotions, such as joy, gratitude, contentment, hope, and love. They also reported greater life satisfaction and lower depressive symptoms following the intervention, compared to when they started. People who were on a waitlist to learn the practice didn't report these benefits.
Who Has Tried The Practice?
Participants in the above study were mostly white, held bachelor’s degrees, and had a median annual income of over $85,000. Additional research has engaged members of other groups:
- Israeli adults who attended seven 90-minute weekly classes on Loving-Kindness Meditation and were asked to practice daily “showed significant reductions in self‐criticism and depressive symptoms as well as significant increases in self‐compassion and positive emotions” compared to those on a waitlist.
- For university freshmen in China, 30 minutes of Loving-Kindness Meditation three times a week for four weeks enhanced positive emotions, decreased negative emotions, and improved interpersonal interactions.
- Singaporean individuals with clinically significant symptoms of borderline personality disorder showed reduced negative emotions and feelings of rejection after 10 minutes of Loving-Kindness Meditation.
- Japanese individuals increased in self-compassion and decreased in negative thoughts and emotions after a seven-week program that included Loving-Kindness Meditation, Mindful Breathing, and self-compassion exercises.
- University students in South Korea experienced reductions in self-criticism and psychological distress, along with improvements in self-reassurance and mental health, after participating in a six-week program that included Loving-Kindness Meditation, Body Scan, and Mindful Breathing.
- Female trauma survivors of interpersonal violence (41% non-white) in an American substance abuse treatment and housing program experienced significant reductions in mental health symptoms across a six-week meditation program that included two weeks of Loving-Kindness Meditation for an hour every day.
- Arabic- and Bangla-speaking migrants in Australia experienced reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress after a bilingual group mindfulness program that included Loving-Kindness Meditation, Body Scan, and Mindful Breathing.
Loving-Kindness Meditation is one of the practices included in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and based on Buddhist teachings, MBSR is a six- to 10-week program that teaches various mindfulness techniques through weekly sessions and homework assignments. Research suggests that MBSR benefits the mental health of various groups, including the following:
- People in different cultures and countries, such as bilingual Latin-American families, university students in China, disadvantaged families in Hong Kong, low-income cyclo drivers in Vietnam, males with generalized anxiety disorder in Iran, Indigenous people in the Republic of Congo, and Aboriginal Australians.
- Women around the world, including pregnant women in China, rural women in India who experienced still-birth, at-risk women in Iran, Muslim women college students in the United Arab Emirates, American survivors of intimate partner violence, and socioeconomically disadvantaged Black women with post-traumatic stress disorder.
- People with certain diseases, such as New Zealanders with rheumatoid arthritis, male patients with heart disease in India, patients with diabetes in South Korea, cancer patients in Canada, breast cancer survivors in China, and HIV-positive individuals in Toronto, San Francisco, Iran, and South Africa.
More research is needed to explore whether, and how, the impact of this practice extends to other groups and cultures.
Keep in Mind
A 2015 study found that MBSR “improved depressive symptoms regardless of affiliation with a religion, sense of spiritually, … sex, or age.” However, other studies suggest that MBSR may not benefit everyone equally:
- When MBSR was administered in Massachusetts correctional facilities, male prisoners experienced less mental health improvement than female prisoners.
- MBSR may not be beneficial in all cultural contexts. For Haitian mental health practitioners and teachers, MBSR contradicted some of their cultural worldviews and everyday practices. Brazilian medical students who participated in MBSR experienced no significant changes in mental health or quality of life.
References
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Jung, H. Y., Lee, H., & Park, J. (2015). Comparison of the effects of Korean mindfulness-based stress reduction, walking, and patient education in diabetes mellitus. Nursing & Health Sciences, 17(4), 516–525.
Kabat-Zinn, J., De Torrijos, F., Skillings, A. H., Blacker, M., Mumford, G. T., Alvares, D. L., & Rosal, M. C. (2016). Delivery and effectiveness of a dual language (English/Spanish) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program in the inner city - A seven-year experience: 1992-1999. Mindfulness & Compassion, 1(1), 2–13.
Kabat-Zinn, J., & Hanh, T. N. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Delta.
Lavrencic, L. M., Donovan, T., Moffatt, L., Keiller, T., Allan, W., Delbaere, K., & Radford, K. (2021). Ngarraanga giinganay (‘thinking peacefully’): Co-design and pilot study of a culturally-grounded mindfulness-based stress reduction program with older First Nations Australians. Evaluation and Program Planning, 87, 12.
Le, T. N. (2017). Cultural considerations in a phenomenological study of mindfulness with Vietnamese youth and cyclo drivers. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 6(4), 246–260.
Lee, M. Y., Zaharlick, A., & Akers, D. (2017). Impact of meditation on mental health outcomes of female trauma survivors of interpersonal violence with co-occurring disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(14), 2139–2165.
Li, J., & Qin, X. (2021). Efficacy of mindfulness‐based stress reduction on fear of emotions and related cognitive behavioral processes in Chinese university students: A randomized controlled trial. Psychology in the Schools, 1–17.
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Neto, A. D., Lucchetti, A. L. G., Ezequiel, O. S., & Lucchetti, G. (2020). Effects of a required large-group mindfulness meditation course on first-year medical students’ mental health and quality of life: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35(3), 672–678.
Noh, S. & Cho, H. (2020). Psychological and physiological effects of the mindful lovingkindess compassion program on highly self-critical university students in South Korea. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2628.
Parswani, M. J., Sharma, M. P., & Iyengar, S. S. (2013). Mindfulness-based stress reduction program in coronary heart disease: A randomized control trial. International Journal of Yoga, 6(2), 111.
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Shahar, B., Szsepsenwol, O., Zilcha‐Mano, S., Haim, N., Zamir, O., Levi‐Yeshuvi, S., & Levit‐Binnun, N. (2015). A wait‐list randomized controlled trial of loving‐kindness meditation programme for self‐criticism. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 22(4), 346–356.
Speca, M., Carlson, L. E., Goodey, E., & Angen, M. (2000). A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: The effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62(5), 613–622.
Stell, A. J., & Farsides, T. (2016). Brief loving-kindness meditation reduces racial bias, mediated by positive other-regarding emotions. Motivation and Emotion, 40(1), 140–147.
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Quick Description
Loving-kindness meditation invites us to cultivate warm feelings of love and kindness toward increasingly distant people, and ultimately all living creatures. How concerned are you about your community, your fellow citizens, and all of mankind? Take the Connection to Humanity quiz to find out.
Comments
and Reviews
Dianne Raymont
This is a powerful practice, and used throughout Buddhism, similar to the principles of the Metta meditation. I have seen a negative comment, this demonstrates that emotions and our inner resistance and ego may rise doing this type of practice! Evidence has shown that using these ancient principles calms the mind, creates positivity, triggers the chemistry of the brain to stimulate favorable hormonal responses and results in ever-increasing benefits of happiness, relaxation, creativity and when combined with being in the 'now' directly impacts your life - and therefore the lives of others. Metta!
Eleni
This practice got on my nerves. I got restless and more stressed. It felt patronising. I relaxed more by thinking my loved ones and listening to music
Ellen Weissbuch
This was a beautiful heart opening experience. I hope to make a habit of practicing it regularly.
Kris Barnes
Lovely practice
Saytel Lopez
I tried it once and couldn't play it anymore. Is this supposed to be like that?
Sudhir Chhatbar
I find it very satisfying, uplifting and relaxing.
Victoria Ann Leuba
Found this helpful in releasing negative feelings.
Chelsea Robert
Good- I agree with the above comment that it helps me to be more patient and compassionate especially with people I find challenging.
Victoria Ann Leuba
This meditation works well for me especially when I am struggling with a relationship that isn't going as well as I would like.
Joanna L.
Loving Kindness Meditation was a great experience for me.
Anita Cullen
Thank you it was quite an emotional experience.
Deirdre Gonsalves
This is a powerful grounding practice. I was able to incorporate it into my regular sessions. It expands and super charges getting to an ego-free space so that awareness comes sooner & easier.
Rosanne Petersen
This meditation felt comfortable and easy. I can see it being helpful when I have disagreements with others. Would put me in a better place emotionally.
Kathleen Mulchay
It was heart-expanding and gentling, a meaningful way to feel empathic communion with others.
Meeta Doshi
Felt relaxed and filled with goodwill towards everyone
Faustine Gebhart
good - see above
Neena Khanna
Kept getting distracted
Neena Khanna
Kept getting distracted?
Kara Guoke
I like meditation in general, but somehow this one did not relate to me as much as I wished. Though my daughter heard it and asked me to switch it on before her day nap which made me very happy. As it helped her to come down and fall asleep.
Sônia Andrade Marques Mesquita
It is very powerful
Laura catherine
I brought together my grandfather who passed many many hears ago, and my grandkids. They hear stories about him all the time. I liked the idea of us all being together. Thank you!
Wan Liz
I did this meditation with a friend during a shared but distant qiuet time. We did not discuss before hand. We both drew in our parents at our sides. I have read other comments about not having someone to draw into this lovingkindness exercise. During the suggestion to call up loved ones, I also envisioned teachers on my bookshelf as possible stand ins. This brings up a moment when I was reading passages from the Dalai Lama one day. I had a feeling of his brief presence and a sense that he was touching foreheads with me. That experience taught me that other people are sending me Metta from near and far.
Kathleen Dobson
I had tears coming down my face. I faced some feelings I had been avoiding.
Joanne Shea
Liked thinking about all of this.
Maryam Essa Juma Mohammad Alblooshi
it was very good
Maryam Essa Juma Mohammad Alblooshi
it was very good
Salem Mohsen Alhashmi
my experience with loving-kindness is positive as it stimulates my positive feelings.
antonio cancian
sending kindness and love to people heals internal emotional wounds and allows for a broader vision of life. Great practice
Helen Glover
I have used this meditation since the lockdown of December 2020 (I think, that seems a long time, but I suppose it is….?). I find it very calming and helpful, the nearest thing to prayer for others which a non Christian meditation can offer.
Jennifer Newton
..
Danielle Siler
It is very good I enjoyed it.
Carolyn Allaire
My experience with my first meditation went well and I’m looking forward to tomorrow morning for more.
Maureen Stewart Mauck
A little shaky at first then warm & loving when I thought of the person on my right then left . Calming by the end.
Evy Dukelis
Calming!
Evy Dukelis
Very calming!
Evy Dukelis
Calming!
Evy Dukelis
Great!
Evy Dukelis
Very good!
Evy Dukelis
Very good!
Kati Saunders
Good
Kimberly Jackson
I felt very relaxed. I feel stress free. It's lovely to feel loved and send love to others. What a wonderful way to feel connected to others!
Jean Nimmo
First time. Perfect timing for me. Thank you. I look forward to this each morning.
Evy Dukelis
Very calming.
Trina Van Schyndel
I have done a similar exercise before, the difference being in my practice you also are doing a round of phrase repetition wishing yourself the same things you are wishing others (I.e. May I be….). So with that added I feel this is a useful exercise to bring about feelings of warmth and generosity toward others, as well as yourself.
Nicola Graham
Loved it Would like to get a reminder each morning with a link It started like that and then I didn’t get the link each morning Nicola
Gecole Louise Harley
I drifted in the middle but I liked the meditation.
Alexandra Hernandez
It was nice, reliving, reassuring!
Lesa Ann Simonds
I have done similar meditations alone and in small groups. It’s always pleasant, peaceful, calming and positive. Having the specific wordings spoken aloud is helpful for remaining focused. I felt myself smiling as I visualized those I was thinking of.
Stephanie Benoit
I have done lovingkindness meditations before, but this one was the first that started with me visualizing all the people who love me. I found it extremely powerful and created a feeling of warmth and connection that was easy to wish to share with others.
Jessica Lizarralde
Painful!
Kiran Purohit
Had a great time while practicing
Kiran Purohit
Good
Cynthia Jones
I will continue. It made me think more which for me.........I think to much anyway. I did feel happy at the beginning.
Imen
Today. I stopped doing it because I felt uncomfortable.
Wendy Eastman
I feel much better!!!! Lighter! Thank You
Arlinda Befort
The exercise was not written for dead beloveds. As written it didn't feel right for the dead.
Lynn Mathis
It’s difficult for me to send or receive such strong feelings even though they’re positive, warm and loving. I hope to gain confidence with practice.
Lynsey Bosch
I found that when imaging people sending me love, I felt overwhelmed and emotional; however, when I was sending love to others, I felt warm and full. Overall this was relaxing and good.
Donna Vella
Simply beautiful. Looking forward to tomorrow!
Dylan Jennings
Unfortunately, the audio doesn't work. The written words themselves are nice though.
Dylan Jennings
Unfortunately, the audio doesn't work. The written words themselves are nice though.
Denise Arnst
I liked the giving and receiving aspect of this
Maryanne Federici Knutson
I feel more connected with others
Shannon-Marie Sullivan
This is new to me but so far has been beneficial
Cynthia Elaine Crawford
What a great way to start the day. The time in meditation flew by.
Valerie Viramonte
It’s been a long time since I’ve practiced loving kindness. Almost immediately I had emotion and quiet tears. I’m craving love and caring.
Kenny Cross
Relaxing
William Adams
It has been part of my daily meditation practice for some time. The practice helps me to feel better about myself and others as I widen the practice to include my family, community, country, and all living beings.
Sheree Swanson
Great! Reminds me that relationships and live make the world go round!
Lynn
This is a way to practice peace & calm to replace worry and negative thoughts from entering my mind.
Diane Bookmyer
A great practice for me as I tend to carry other people's burdens. It was freeing for me to offer up well wishes, health and happiness to one's I know and love, as well as, others who I dont know who may be struggling. One cannot go wrong with this amazing meditation practice.
Diane Bookmyer
A great practice for me as I carry other people's burdens. It was freeing for me to offer up well wishes, health and happiness to one's I know and love, as well as, other who I dont know who may be struggling. One cannot go wrong with this amazing meditation practice.
Deb Parziale
I practice loving kindness meditation regularly. I liked this version. Thanks.
Seth Hudson
Not my favorite. Found it a bit irritating to be honest.
Jay Selva
Excellent, I have become more focus on being Peaceful. This particular loving kindness meditation is unique in that you can visualize a person on the right, on the left and also your loved ones around in a circle, also visualizing myself in that circle while I'm sending them my voice of loving kindness. I would say, Awesome. I'm going to teach this particular one. Thanks a million, thank you.
Michelle Wallhagen
Just what I need during a time when I'm feeling anger and despair about so many things going on right now. Living in anger is not useful or enjoyable, so any tool to bring me away from anger is welcome.
Catherine Kelly
Reminded of and felt the love by lost loved one
Dawn Merrifield
ok
Dawn Merrifield
good start
Ana Bel
I love this practice!
Colleen Leonard
I sat on my dock listening to the guided meditation and was able to follow along on and off. It’s a muscle I need to develop still! I was surprised by some of the people who came to mind as I did the practice.
Jayadeep Chellath
First invent the happiness, joy, and peacefulness and become 100%peaceful and loving. Slowly spread the happinesses, joy, and love the entire universe. Picture yourself embodiment of peace and happiness and gently consider and imagine you are spreading peace. Consider yourself as a shining star spreading love and peace from your forhead. The suffering you experience in the past actually help you to reinvent your happiness and peace.
Michael Lemmon
Good
Angelxilech Orrvana
Estuvo excelente, me hizo reflexionar mucho en cuestión de que hay que ser muy bondadosos con todo aquello que nos rodea.
Jeanne Langenberg
As I practiced this Loving Kindness Meditation day by day, the group of loving people from both the present and the past who came to mind during the meditation expanded greatly. It started as just a small circle of special friends and relatives, but multiplied to the point that, if I choose two or three new people for each day's meditation, I can continue for a long time before I choose the same person twice. This realization really helps ameliorate the effects of covid's forced distancing.
Katarina Tornqvist
A wonderful meditation. Please don’t get stuck on the ’mantras’, I would say: use the words that feel right for you.
Jeanne Langenberg
I'm so looking forward to doing Loving-Kindness Meditation daily for seven days. I've tried, and enjoyed, Loving-Kindness meditation before, but didn't make it a habit, as I was distracted by so many other activities. I hope that, after repeating this meditation 7 days in a row, it will become a habit. I was grinning throughout today's practice. Thank you, research team.
Amalia Blondet
This time as I knew what was coming, I had time to think about who I wanted to think about and it was beautiful. I meditate with a smile on my face!
Amalia Blondet
It brought me happiness to send all good energy back. Great first meditation
shouq
Wonderful and strange experience . For the first time I try this amazing experience and i love it .
Zakya
This was powerful, i did cry at the beginning of the meditation when i pictured the first person suggest despite she is not passed, i felt like i was overwhelmed by my emotions. But at the end of the meditation i felt relaxed, in peace. Thank you
Sameer Ali Khan
Its really helpful. Being a Healer i mostly suggest this to my Customers. <3 <3 <3 https://spirituality-awakening.com/
Alexandra Pegues
This was really powerful as like another commenter did, I couldn't help but think of my grandmother who passed. I did cry a bit during the meditation but my feelings ended on a high note.
Jeff
Very helpful at allowing me to experience some inner quiet and peace. Expressing/feeling loving-kindness to others is difficult for me and most of the time, feeling any sense of loving kindness toward myself seems impossible. This 15 minute journey was worth it. And I will set it on my morning practices for a while until I can feel it and internalize it better. Very spot on, thank you. Jeff N.
Florence Hovancik
When I do this practice I cry because I think of my father who has passed on.
Florence Hovancik
I feel more at peace
taylorwashere21@gmail.com
Has made me appreciate life more.
Chris B
Never fails to open my heart .ive practiced many types of meditations from simple to esoteric.this is the first that has caused a flow of love to myself and others. Every time I cry and it feels so healing. Thankyou
Tara Brown
I've been trying this exercise with slight variations from different researchers and I find it the most difficult mediation practice I've ever attempted (and I've done a lot, including in the mountains of Japan in torrential downpour standing in front of a shinto shrine). The reason I find it difficult are for two reasons - 1) It's very repetitive 2) You have to do it for at least 30-45 days in a row according to some researchers to reap real benefits. I haven't been able to go beyond 3 days before switching to another practice. Maybe it's just not for me.
Elocin
This assumes you have someone in your life that loves you very much- useless for me
bcrain107@gmail.com
Very Good!
Zie Mental Art
This really works to induce a calmer, and more loving disposition even in the face of a monster.
Ana Claudia Camargo Germani
Simple and powerful way to feel better!
Ivana Miletic Demmel
Beautiful little practice! Managed to catch the essence of Metta in such a short time. I also really like that the phrases are changing so the words keep their meaning as opposed to becoming a mantra where through repetition you remain aware only on their melody.
ng tengjie
I have been taught another variation by a buddhist monk which uses self-empathy if you can't thinking of a person whom you can receive lovingkindness from. In this case you send well-wishes to yourself with the following phrases: "May I live with ease, may I be happy, may I be free from pain."
Anna Zaremba
IT'S GREAT. John, in Positive Psychology course an Coursera prof. Fredrikson give us only one - thre four statements mantra. I am not sure, I believe it was: may you be happy, may you be helthy, may you live with ease . You can chek it on the course 😊
John Karlsson
I find it difficult to memorize six mantras that are near identical and a combination of each other. Is there any difference in effectiveness if you use one or two similar mantras (equally many times as in this exercise of course) instead?
DoHyeon Park
It`s very good.
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.