There’s a common misconception that you have to be a jerk in order to succeed. In fact, science shows that compassionate people are healthier, happier, more popular and more successful.
But… ew, what is “loving-kindness?” Sounds supremely syrupy and annoying, according to bestselling author, anchorman, and skeptic Dan Harris . When he first heard the term “loving-kindness” he thought it was so touchy-feely, ooey-gooey, and squishy, that it made him feel uncomfortable. “It felt like something we’d get lectured about in kindergarten and that I’d ignore anyway,” says Harris.
What turned it around for him was the science.
The research on loving-kindness meditation shows that qualities like loving-kindness and compassion actually make us happier, which means we’re more resilient and capable.
To explore this further, he created a new course on the 10% Happier app where he sits down with Sharon Salzberg, who is perhaps the most prominent proponent of loving-kindness meditation in the West, to explore why loving-kindness is actually a “no strings attached” gift to yourself and others.
Qualities like loving-kindness and compassion actually make us happier, which means we’re more resilient and capable.
Sharon outlines the basic loving-kindness practice in the course. It looks like this:
…
