Meditation isn’t meant to have a goal – so condemning it for failing to achieve certain goals misses the point
Nothing seems guaranteed to spark an explosion of schadenfreude, in the world of psychology, like a new piece of research suggesting meditation might be hogwash. The latest, a review of 54 existing studies, found that mindfulness did little to boost compassion or empathy – and that other activities, such as watching a nature documentary, might help as much. (“Mindfulness No Better Than Watching TV,” ran the gleeful headline on a post by neurologist Steven Novella.)
Then there was the astonishing study that found Tibetan monks and nuns fear death more than the average person – a freakish result, since their philosophy holds that the self isn’t real, so death ought to be no big deal. The delighted reactions to such news are the flipside of the irritation encapsulated in a recent Onion story: “Historians Discover Meditation Spread From Ancient China By Annoying Monk Who Wouldn’t Shut Up About How It Changed His Life.”
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