Metta
Practice
A practical guide and fun community for training the mind to live from goodwill, compassion, joy, and steadiness.
Free to read · no required donation · open to thoughtful contributions
Scientific benefits of metta
The research is clear: metta practice supports mental health.
Positive emotion
Field experiment: loving-kindness practice increased daily positive emotions and consequential personal resources.
Fredrickson et al. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008. DOI 10.1037/a0013262.Social connection
Brief induction study: loving-kindness meditation increased explicit and implicit positivity toward novel others.
Hutcherson, Seppala, and Gross. Emotion, 2008. DOI 10.1037/a0013237.Self-compassion
Wait-list randomized trial: loving-kindness training increased self-compassion in highly self-critical adults.
Shahar et al. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 2015. DOI 10.1002/cpp.1893.PTSD symptoms
Randomized noninferiority trial: group-format loving-kindness meditation reduced PTSD symptoms among veterans.
Kearney et al. JAMA Network Open, 2021. DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.6604.Lower distress
Systematic review and meta-analysis: kindness-based meditation showed moderate effects on depression and distress.
Galante et al. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2014. PMID 24979314.Pain coping
Pilot trial in chronic low-back-pain patients reported reductions in pain, anger, and psychological distress.
Carson et al. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 2005. PMID 16049118.Less implicit bias
Controlled study: six weeks of loving-kindness practice reduced implicit bias toward stigmatized outgroups.
Kang, Gray, and Dovidio. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2014. PMID 23957283.Telomere-length signal
In one 12-week randomized trial, loving-kindness practice was associated with less telomere attrition than control.
Le Nguyen et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2019. DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.05.020.Prosocial care
Meta-analysis: meditation interventions showed effects on compassion, empathy, and prosocial behavior.
Luberto et al. Mindfulness, 2018. PMID 30100929.Read at your own pace
Choose the depth that fits the moment. The book is free, readable online, downloadable, and open to thoughtful contributions.
One sentence
Metta is a state of universal goodwill or loving-kindness, and practices that cultivate it have been linked to benefits for mood, social connection, self-compassion, and stress.
1 minuteOne paragraph
The shortest complete explanation of what metta is, how practice strengthens it, and how it can become a daily foundation.
Read paragraph 5 minutesOne page
The core idea, the simple script, and the first practical move in a single page.
Open page 25 minutesShort guide
A complete first pass through the method, the 10-minute sit, and how to keep returning all day.
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The philosophy, science, history, difficult situations, appendices, references, and audiobook.
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