Health Policy

New Research Says to Give Yourself a Break

A breath of fresh air is sweeping through the messages about setting goals, showing discipline and envisioning success. Researchers are finding a key element missing in much of the advice meted out in the self-improvement world: self-compassion.

It turns out being kind to ourselves makes it more likely we will succeed in whatever we are setting out to do. In one study researchers involved students in what they billed as a food-tasting experiment. One group was given a lesson in forgiveness before the taste test, the other in self-compassion. The food offered them—doughnuts and candies—were chosen to provoke a sense of guilt. The ones who had heard a brief lesson on self-compassion ate less than those who learned about forgiveness. So maybe being kind to ourselves is the key to removing barriers to a lot of dreams and hopes.

Self-compassion is a new field of study, but researchers are hoping they will learn to understand it well enough to help alleviate some of the stress, anxiety and depression that are so prevalent. In the meantime, we have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain by being kinder to ourselves.