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Loving-kindness and compassion meditation facilitates workplace well-being: Randomised controlled trials comparing the mediating roles of positive emotion and self-compassion
Author(s)
Date Issued
2026
Publisher
Hong Kong: Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Citation
Wang, R. (2026). Loving-kindness and compassion meditation facilitates workplace well-being: Randomised controlled trials comparing the mediating roles of positive emotion and self-compassion. In Hong Kong Shue Yan University (Ed.). Conference proceeding of international conference on human resilience: Navigating life changes & challenges (HRCONF2026). International Conference on Human Resilience: Navigating Life Changes & Challenges (HRCONF2026), Hong Kong Shue Yan University (pp. 55). Hong Kong Shue Yan University.
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
Meditation practices, as a type of psychological intervention, could potentially improve employee well-being. Recently, there has been growing interest in the workplace toward a specific type of meditation known as Loving-Kindness and Compassion Meditation (LKCM). LKCM empowers practitioners to consistently cultivate feelings of goodwill, initially directed at themselves and subsequently extended to others. The primary objective of LKCM is to cultivate four pro-social attitudes toward both oneself and others, commonly referred to as the “four immeasurables”: (a) Loving-kindness; (b) Compassion; (c) Appreciative Joy; and (d) Equanimity. However, evaluations of LKCM’s specific impacts and underlying mechanisms in
the workplace are limited. This study conducted two randomized controlled trials to examine the effects of online selfhelp LKCM interventions on employee well-being (Study 1: n = 200; Study 2: n = 386). The focused outcomes included job burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intention, with Study 2 extending to psychological distress. We also took an initial
step to compare the mediating roles of positive emotion and self-compassion in the effects of the LKCM intervention. Both studies showed that LKCM intervention effectively improved most included outcomes and their dimensions, except for general job satisfaction and positive self-compassion in Study 1, and reduced accomplishment in Studies 1 and 2. Furthermore, both sub-studies identified the independent mediating roles of positive emotion (particularly low- and medium-arousal types) and self-compassion (especially negative self-compassion) in the effects of the LKCM intervention. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the impact of LKCM interventions on employee well-being. They offer effective and practical strategies for enhancing occupational health. Our results also highlight implications for future research and applications of LKCM in workplace settings.
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