In this episode of 'Compassion in a T-Shirt', I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas, a leading expert in the neuroscience and psychology of compassion. Dr. Simon-Thomas discusses her extensive research at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, where she examines the biological, psychological, and social facets of compassion. With insights on how compassion improves our health, happiness, and relationships, we delve into discussions on empathy, the evolutionary origins of compassion, and practical strategies to cultivate compassion in our daily lives. Don't miss our conversation about her contributions to the Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science and the Science of Happiness courses. Tune in for an enlightening and inspiring dialogue on how to cultivate compassion and find happiness.

TIME STAMPS:

00:00 Introduction to Compassion in a T-Shirt

00:11 Meet Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas

02:57 Defining Compassion

05:47 The Evolution of Compassion

13:50 The Science of Happiness

22:57 Compassion Practices and Well-being

34:17 The Power of Empathy and Joy

34:50 Cultural Adaptations in Positive Psychology

36:51 Community Embedded Research

38:09 Global Impact and Data Collection

44:40 Compassion Fatigue vs. Empathic Distress

51:02 Compassion in a Divided World

01:00:03 Enhancing Engagement in Wellbeing Programs

01:07:25 Final Thoughts and Appreciation

TARGETED PLAYLIST LINK:

Compassion in a T-Shirt: In Session

LINKS:

Greater Good Science Center

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/

Science of Happiness Course

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/what_we_do/online_courses_tools/the_science_of_happiness

Four Week Pathway to Happiness

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/onboarding/start

The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science (Seppälä , Simon-Thomas et al., 2017)

https://www.amazon.com.au/Handbook-Compassion-Science-Library-Psychology-ebook/dp/B075TBH87F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OS1XFWO9568Z&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.erbXZK9Kvm5T1KOelgMFh7XouBTrTP15pGJZPNUXvS0.WyrzAo0gmh5FmxDK4LhDgV9bR6g-I9-UQD1MiKezozg&dib_tag=se&keywords=oxford+handbook+of+compassion+science&qid=1734068773&s=digital-text&sprefix=oxford+handbook+of+compassion+science%2Cdigital-text%2C244&sr=1-1

Recent article:

Who engages in well-being interventions? An analysis of a global digital intervention study (Park et al., 2024) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2024.2417098#abstract

If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Gifts-Compassion-understand-overcome-suffering/dp/1925644480

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Video hashtags

Compassion, awe, gratitude, awareness, appreciation, authenticity, love, prosocial emotions, neuroscience, psychology