Nurturing Compassion in Education: Unveiling the Neuroscience of Empathy and Compassion

Ballieux, H. 2024. Nurturing Compassion in Education: Unveiling the Neuroscience of Empathy and Compassion. in: Waddington, K. and Bonaparte, B. (ed.) Developing and supporting pedagogies of compassion in higher education: A practice first approach Springer. pp. 101-113

Chapter titleNurturing Compassion in Education: Unveiling the Neuroscience of Empathy and Compassion
AuthorsBallieux, H.
EditorsWaddington, K. and Bonaparte, B.
Abstract

A compassionate overhaul in higher education is long overdue, but it is still relatively unclear what it can learn from an educational and applied contemplative neuroscience perspective. In this chapter I will paint an evolutionary, developmental, and social cognitive neuroscience picture of how a compassionate mind can be cultivated once the developmental building blocks have been put in place. I will elaborate on how our two hemispheres, while always collaborating, attend to the world differently, and what the implications of this division of labour strategy of ‘eat and not be eaten’ are for cultivating an empathic and compassionate mind. I will discuss the development of social cognitive precursors of empathy and compassion, in particular ‘pre-concern’, self-other differentiation, and Theory of Mind (ToM). I will argue that looking at these fundamental processes makes it evident that the essence of building a compassionate mind lies in (the forming of) relationships. I further emphasize the importance of the connection between emotion and learning, specifically when it comes to compassion training.

KeywordsEvolution
Development
Self-other Differentiation
Theory of Mind
Social Cognition
Hemispheric Specialization
Educational Neuroscience
Book titleDeveloping and supporting pedagogies of compassion in higher education: A practice first approach
Page range101-113
Year2024
PublisherSpringer
Publication dates
Published08 Sep 2024
ISBN9783031675423
9783031675454
9783031675430
ISSN2566-7106
2566-8315
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67543-0_6

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