ABSTRACT
This chapter elucidates on the available evidence regarding the neural basis of compassion, and discusses how the understanding of compassion on the brain level could inform the development of new strategies to prevent and/or treat burnout and "compassion fatigue". Social neuroscience has already been investigating the neural basis of empathy for more than a decade. Empathy and compassion constitute two distinguishable social emotions that are elicited by the observation of others suffering, and are associated with two different networks at the brain level. Furthermore, targeted training interventions can specifically modulate activity within these two distinct networks. In the case of compassion, loving-kindness and compassion training can up-regulate activity in a brain network including VS, globus pallidus, mOFC, and brain stem areas associated with positive feelings of concern, warmth, and care, as well as altruistic motivation and prosocial behavior. Compassion could therefore be used as an alternative emotion regulation strategy fostering resilience.
