A Comparison of the Effects of Ethics- Versus Wisdom-Based Mindfulness Practices on Prosocial Behaviour

The study aimed to examine the impact of incorporating Buddhist ethics-based practices versus Buddhist ethics- and wisdom-based practices in an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on prosocial behaviour.

Changes in behaviour were evaluated through the subcategories of monetary donation, prosocial attitudes, and volunteering engagement. Participants at a British university in China (n=67) were randomly assigned to either an MBI including concentration- and ethics-based practice (MBI-CE) or an MBI including concentration-, ethics-, and wisdom-based practice (MBI-CEW), with a study-as-usual control group. Throughout the intervention, participants attended weekly 2-hr face-to-face sessions and maintained daily meditation journals.

Results showed that MBI-CEW participants exhibited significant increases in prosocial behaviour compared to MBI-CE and controls. No significant difference was observed in dispositional mindfulness or ethical responsibility between intervention groups. However, the MBI-CEW group experienced greater changes in levels of sense of connectedness, as well as greater changes in levels of prosocial tendencies than the MBI-CE group.

The findings emphasize the influence of integrating wisdom-based practices into MBIs on prosocial behaviour and suggest that transcending an individualistic sense of self may play a more prominent role in enhancing prosocial tendencies than heightened awareness or moral reasoning.

This study was not preregistered