Over the last couple of weeks, the lectures and readings have focused on peace and social justice. Yet for most people, the desire for peace and social justice arises from something that social psychologists haven't really studied much until recently: compassion. In English, the word compassion comes from Latin, and means, literally, "to suffer with." The last part of the word is related in origin to patient— that is, "one who suffers," and if there's any doubt about the importance of compassion, all we need to do is imagine living in a world that doesn't have it. That's not a world I'd want to live in. What we need—I think most of us would agree— is more compassion, as well as a better understanding of it. Here, for example, are a few questions we might ask. First, who tends to be most compassionate, and why? For example, does compassion increase as people age? Is compassion something that can be taught, and if so, what are the most effective ways to do it? Is compassion different at the individual and group level? How does compassion vary across cultures? How does it vary across generations? And possibly most important of all, what are the factors that increase or decrease compassion? These questions are just beginning to receive serious research attention. For instance, in 2013, a study published in the journal Psychological Science found that after only two weeks of compassion training, people showed changes in brain activation in response to images of suffering and distress. And in 2013, the Association for Psychological Science ran a magazine cover story on compassion research, looking at things like the evolutionary role of compassion, and physical and psychological health benefits associated with compassionate behavior. An interesting overlap with social psychology is that, since 1999, I've ended the introductory Social Psychology class that I teach at Wesleyan with an assignment called "The Day of Compassion" in which I challenge students to live a full 24 hours as compassionately as possible, and analyze the experience from a social psychological perspective, answering questions like the following: First, how did you define compassion? If your behavior was different than normal, who do you like more: the "Day of Compassion you" or the "normal you"? What are the costs and benefits of behaving compassionately? Do the benefits out weight the costs? How did others respond to your compassion? First off, did they notice any difference? And if so, what attributions did they make for your behavior? Finally, if you wanted to encourage others to behave as you did during the Day of Compassion, what techniques would you use? Each year that students carry out this assignment, they tell me how interesting it was, both in terms of social psychology and personal insights that they have about themselves. And each year, I'm incredibly impressed at how students rise to the challenge, and find creative ways to behave compassionately. Here are just a few acts of compassion that they've taken over the years, and what you can see is tremendous variety. Some of the acts involve people that the students know, and others involve people they'll never meet. Some focus on humans, whereas others benefit animals and the environment. And as you might notice, some involve direct applications of social psychology, which is always great to see. So, when thinking about this online course, two things occurred to me. First, it would be great to have a Day of Compassion involving thousands of students from around the world. And second, there should be a Day of Compassion Award for the most amazing and wonderful work that students submit. So, just to remind you of something I mentioned earlier in the course, this class will have a Day of Compassion Award, and the grand prize winner will be flown on an expense-paid trip to personally meet a worldwide symbol of compassion. Nobel Peace Prize Winner and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, famous for his compassion, had generously offered to meet the next winner. But with his death— a huge loss for the world— this is no longer possible. So, I'll announce details on the next award as soon as they're available. Meanwhile, out of respect for Mr. Annan and his nonprofit foundation, I'd still like to share a 90-second overview of his approach to peace, sustainability, and the creation of a more compassionate world. >> The world that I'm working to create is a world that should be of interest to all of us. I'm working to create a world that is stable, that is peaceful, where we, as human beings, realize that we cannot consume the resources of the world the way we are doing, as if there is no tomorrow. We are all in the same boat, the same cruise. The boat sometimes seems too small. Let's say we are all in a cruise. Some may be in the best suite in the boat; others may be in a little dingy hold somewhere. But if the ship begins to take water, whatever end of the boat you are— whatever your accommodation— we are all at risk. If we work in partnership, and we all do our little bit collectively, we will make a giant contribution. >> Returning to the Day of Compassion Award, all you need to do in order to be eligible is complete at least four out of the five class assignments, receive a very high score on your Day of Compassion essay, and make sure your account settings allow me to reach you in the event that you win. Then, after this edition of the course has been running for at least a year, the teaching staff will choose the grand prize winner and ten runners up based on criteria similar to what was listed in the Day of Compassion peer assessment, and I'll contact the winner and runners up. So, in conclusion, whether or not you're eligible for the award, I hope you'll take part in the assignment, learn about the dynamics of compassion in your own life, and use the power of social psychology for the greater good.
