Abstract Title: Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Abstract Source: J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008 Nov ;95(5):1045-62. PMID: 18954193 Abstract Author(s): Barbara L Fredrickson, Michael A Cohn, Kimberly A Coffey, Jolynn Pek, Sandra M Finkel Article Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Abstract: B. L. Fredrickson's (1998, 2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions asserts that people's daily experiences of positive emotions compound over time to build a variety of consequential personal resources. The authors tested this build hypothesis in a field experiment with working adults (n = 139), half of whom were randomly-assigned to begin a practice of loving-kindness meditation. Results showed that this meditation practice produced increases over time in daily experiences of positive emotions, which, in turn, produced increases in a wide range of personal resources (e.g., increased mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, decreased illness symptoms). In turn, these increments in personal resources predicted increased life satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms. Discussion centers on how positive emotions are the mechanism of change for the type of mind-training practice studied here and how loving-kindness meditation is an intervention strategy that produces positive emotions in a way that outpaces the hedonic treadmill effect. Article Published Date : Oct 31, 2008

Abstract Title: Loving-kindness meditation for chronic low back pain: results from a pilot trial. Abstract Source: J Holist Nurs. 2005 Sep ;23(3):287-304. PMID: 16049118 Abstract Author(s): James W Carson, Francis J Keefe, Thomas R Lynch, Kimberly M Carson, Veeraindar Goli, Anne Marie Fras, Steven R Thorp Article Affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, USA. Abstract: PURPOSE: Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion. This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients. METHOD: Patients (N = 43) were randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care. Standardized measures assessed patients' pain, anger, and psychological distress. FINDINGS: Post and follow-up analyses showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress in the loving-kindness group, but no changes in the usual care group. Multilevel analyses of daily data showed that more loving-kindness practice on a given day was related to lower pain that day and lower anger the next day. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results suggest that the loving-kindness program can be beneficial in reducing pain, anger, and psychological distress in patients with persistent low back pain. IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians may find loving-kindness meditation helpful in the treatment of patients with persistent pain. Article Published Date : Aug 31, 2005