Washington: People, nowadays are always on the lookout for a way to be happier. Try a little compassion.
Compassion is "experiencing feelings of loving-kindness toward another person's affliction." It's related to, but a little different from empathy, which the same scholar defines as "feeling with someone, that is, sharing the other person's emotion."
According to CNN, the Department of Defense in the United States contracts to teach mindfulness and compassion to the military to teach them resilience in the face of high stress, and regular everyday stress, too.
They have found that compassion is the key to coping. The compassionate tend to have deeper connections with others and more friends. They are more forgiving and have a stronger sense of life purpose.
Compassion also has a direct personal benefit. The compassionate tend to be happier, healthier, more self-confident, less self-critical, and more resilient.
But if you've ever struggled to find loving-kindness for the guy who cut you off on your morning commute, know you are not alone.
Compassion takes practice. But if you do practice, the experts promise the next time you get cut off, while you may not be happy about it, it won't ruin your morning.
