Being kind to oneself and to others is key to well-being; and one cannot go without the other to feel the best.
People who display compassion towards others, animals and themselves experience better well-being outcomes than those who show only external or only internal compassion, according to researchers at McGill University in Canada.
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The finding challenges the assumption that caring for others is always psychologically beneficial. According to the study, compassion only "counts" for well-being when it's paired with compassion for oneself.
“Many people, especially caregivers, educators, health professionals, parents and activists, may be very caring toward others while being harsh or neglectful toward themselves,” said Bassam Khoury, lead author of the study at McGill.
He added that the study suggests this imbalance may be linked to poorer mental health, such as higher stress and anxiety, compared to those who feel compassion for themselves and others.
The researchers also found that low self-compassion was associated with lower life satisfaction and social isolation.
In the meantime, those who showed uniformly high levels of compassion towards themselves, other humans, and animals were linked to the most adaptive psychological functioning – a state of optimal mental health, emotional resilience and social well-being.
The researchers looked at over 1,200 participants and classified them into different groups according to their “compassion profiles,” based on questionnaire answers measuring compassion toward the self, other humans, and animals.
“Self-compassion may help people regulate difficult emotions, reduce self-criticism and create a sense of inner safety,” Khoury added.
“It is not selfish or self-indulgent; it is a foundation for sustainable care for others and the ability to extend compassion to all sentient beings,” he added.
