WHAT GET’S IT FOR YOU?

A Movie?

A News Story?

A Song?

A First Act of Witnessed Kindness?

A Rags to Riches Story?

W H A T    G E T S    I T    F O R    Y    O    U ?

What Stomps on your

C O M P A S S I O N     B U T T O N

Like an Elephant’s Foot on Your Aorta?

Is it because you are

Religious

Spiritual

Agnostic

Atheist

+    *    ?

You may not really like this. . .

but when it comes to

C     O     M     P     A     S     S    I    O     N  

uhhhh.      .     .

the more

R      e      L      i      G      i      O      u      S

the less

compassionate.

 LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

turns out to be   less   of a thing for

The Religious

than

 The Less Religious

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley suggests that the highly religious are less motivated by compassion when helping a stranger than are atheists, agnostics and less religious people.

In three separate experiments, social scientists found that compassion consistently drove less religious people to be more generous.  For highly religious people, however, compassion was largely unrelated to how generous they were, according to the findings which were published in the July issue of the Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science

Obviously, these results challenge a widespread assumption that acts of generosity are largely driven by feelings of empathy and compassion, researchers said.  In the study, the link between compassion and generosity was found to be stronger for those who identified as being non-religious or less religious.

“Overall, we find that for less religious people, the strength of their emotional connection to another person is critical to whether they will help that person or not,” said UC Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a co-author of the study.  “The more religious, on the other hand, may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns.”

COMPASSION is defined in the study as an emotion felt when people see the suffering of others which then motivates them to help, often at a personal risk or cost.

Y’ O U C H

Now. . .seat belts fastened, please. . .

Professor Willer concludes:

“Overall, this research suggests that although less religious people tend to be less trusted in the U.S., when feeling compassionate, they may actually be more inclined to help their fellow citizens than the more religious. . . .”                      

 (More information: Social Psychological and Personality Science April 26, 2012 doi: 10.1177/1948550612444137)

THE   TAKE ?

It’s    N     O     T

to become

Less Religious

or

More Religious.    .    .

Uhhhhh, how about just simply

to become

more COMPASSIONATE

no matter what!

Borders are overflowing with refugees not so much in search of land than an open heart

Diseases aren’t seeking cures more than open acceptance

Hands are outreaching not so much for food or money so much as returning outstretched hands

The  WHOLE   WORLD

is turning.     .     .running the other way

THE COMPLETING COMPASSIONATE

are SPRINTING

towards the unfavored

.    .    .which DIRECTION

are you

j  e  t  t  i  n  g  ?