The Compassion Spillover Effect: Can Self-Compassion Beget Others' Compassion?

A decade of research has highlighted the benefits of being compassionate to oneself in times of suffering. Despite this, many remain hesitant to practice it, fearing the interpersonal backlash that stems from beliefs that self-compassion is selfish or even self-indulgent. In this research, we consider the implications of sufferer self-compassion for others’ perceptions, feelings, and behaviors toward the sufferer. Drawing on social information processing theory, we propose that sufferer self-compassion facilitates others’ felt compassion for the sufferer, in turn encouraging supportive behaviors toward the sufferer. We tested and found support for our predictions in a laboratory experiment of 242 participants participating in 121 dyadic, face-to-face interactions. Contrary to the concern that sufferer self-compassion might trigger punitive evaluations or treatment from surrounding others, our results suggest that sufferers’ self-compassion can instead spill over to fuel others’ compassionate behaviors.