“Human beings are the only creatures who can make themselves miserable. Other animals certainly suffer when they experience negative events, but only humans can induce negative emotions through self-views, judgments, expectations, regrets and comparisons with others. Because self-thought plays such a central role in human happiness and wellbeing, psychologists have devoted a good deal of attention to understanding how people think about themselves.” Here, Mark Leary, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, shares some key scientific research on self-compassion, citing its wide-reaching benefits — ranging from university students to those afflicted with disease to the elderly — offering some revelations on being kind to oneself, and take-aways for what we can each do to boost our own well-being.
