Others in Mind: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Prosociality

Objectives: Mindfulness is associated with personal psychological benefits, and recently, there has been an increase in research regarding its prosocial effect. This article reports on a systematic review and meta-analysis of the link between dispositional mindfulness and prosociality and the effect of certain mindfulness interventions on prosociality. Method: A literature search was conducted to identify correlational studies that included a valid assessment of dispositional mindfulness or randomized controlled trials that conducted mindfulness interventions and measured overt prosocial outcomes among adults. Two separate random-effect models were set to examine the pooled effect sizes, and subsequent moderator analyses examined possible moderators to explain the heterogeneity in effect sizes across studies. Results: The literature search resulted in 31 eligible studies (N = 16,432). The meta-analysis of the correlational studies (K = 7) resulted in a small-to-medium pooled effect size, g = 0.380, 95% CI [0.19, 0.56], and the meta-analysis of the intervention studies (K = 24) resulted in a small-pooled effect size, g = 0.271, 95% CI [0.08, 0.45]. There was no significant difference between short-term and long-term, nor between ethics-based and non-ethics-based interventions. The effect sizes of online studies were unreliable. There was evidence of publication bias in both models. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated the link between dispositional mindfulness and prosociality and the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in increasing prosociality. While this effect might be short-lived, the preservation over time should be addressed by long-term follow-ups. This field of research would benefit from standardized protocols of intervention to prevent heterogeneity. Pre‑registration: This study was not pre-registered.