1. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Compassion Cultivation Training: Effects on Mindfulness, Affect, and Emotion Regulation By Hooria Jazaieri, Kelly McGonigal -Researchers at Stanford University -Published in Motivation and Emotion The authors had the stated aim of filling in gaps in research regarding the effects of mindfulness on individuals. This suggests that any finding not favorable to their agenda would not be published. A Publication Bias.
This article, beyond being a means of fantastic working definitions for my proposal, is also my second article that is the summary of a study performed by the authors. This one as well as the first uses self evaluation to determine positive or negative correlation.
“Compassion is a positive orientation towards suffering that may be enhanced through compassion training and is thought to influence psychological functioning. However, the effects of compassion training on mindfulness, affect, and emotion regulation are not known. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which 100 adults from the community were randomly assigned to either a 9-week compassion cultivation training (CCT) or a waitlist (WL) control condition”
“Compassion may be defined as a complex multidimensional construct that is comprised of four key components: (1) an awareness of suffering (cognitive component), (2) sympathetic concern related to being emotionally moved by suffering (affective component), (3) a wish to see the relief of that suffering (intentional component), and (4) a responsiveness or readiness to help relieve that suffering (motivational component)”
“There was no effect of CCT on cognitive reappraisal frequency and self-efficacy. Cognitive reappraisal is usually implemented via modifying the meaning of a situation to reduce one’s own emotional reactivity. In CCT, the focus is on identifying suffering and its causes in others and not on one’s own reactivity to other’s suffering. Thus, the goal is not to change one’s experience via re-interpretation as is typically done with cognitive reappraisal. In sum, the findings from our study suggest that CCT influences emotion regulation processes by reducing emotional suppression by encouraging individuals to experience emotions without judgment, inhibition, blocking, or distracting.”
This source allows me to make the argument, based on empirical evidence, that compassion cultivation training (cct) a technique entirely inspired and rooted in mindfulness practices and Metta have beneficial consequences to those who practice.

2. Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies By Shian-Ling Keng, Moria J. Smoski, and Clive J. Robbins -Published in the journal, Clinical Psychology Review -Researchers in the Department of Neuroscience and Psychology at Duke University. In this article there seems to be minimal bias other than an interest in the topic that might lead to a publication bias.
Another article that provides useful definitions and comparisons going forward, as well as a brief background of the history of western interpretation of the Buddhist traditions and a thoughtful conclusion on how to proceed.
This article is also, as the title plainly states, another source for empirical evidence of the benefits of mindfulness, reviewing studies that used three methods of evaluation, self-assessment, neuro-imaging, and what they authors call “Intervention research.
This article seems the most promising thus far.
“We begin with a discussion of the construct of mindfulness, differences between Buddhist and Western psychological conceptualizations of mindfulness, and how mindfulness has been integrated into Western medicine and psychology, before reviewing three areas of empirical research: cross-sectional, correlational research on the associations between mindfulness and various indicators of psychological health; intervention research on the effects of mindfulness-oriented interventions on psychological health; and laboratory-based, experimental research on the immediate effects of mindfulness inductions on emotional and behavioral functioning. We conclude that mindfulness brings about various positive psychological effects, including increased subjective well-being, reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved behavioral regulation. The review ends with a discussion on mechanisms of change of mindfulness interventions and suggested directions for future research.”
“Though promoted for centuries as a part of Buddhist and other spiritual traditions, the application of mindfulness to psychological health in Western medical and mental health contexts is a more recent phenomenon, largely beginning in the 1970s…”
“Arguably, Buddhist and Western conceptualizations of mindfulness differ in at least three levels: contextual, process, and content…”
“These studies found that extensive mindfulness meditation experience is associated with increased thickness in brain regions implicated in attention, interoception, and sensory processing, including the prefrontal cortex…”
This source allows me to argue that beyond positive benefits shown through self-assessment tests on happiness and well being, there exists physical evidence in the brain, discovered through neuroimaging, that mindfulness practices improve cognitive and emotional function.