Soft is hard: building resilience with loving kindness meditation at work

Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) training increased psychological resilience and reduced depression, anxiety, and stress among employees at Microsoft Corporation in the United Kingdom. Over a seven-week intervention, 13 employees who practiced LKM showed significant improvements, while a wait-list control group of 15 employees showed no significant changes. The results suggest that LKM is an effective strategy for building resilience and improving employee adaptability to workplace stress.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Stress remains a common factor in modern work life, and resilience building strategies have been shown to support and enhance natural human adaptability in overcoming workplace stress.This study examines the resilience and well-being building efficacy of loving-kindness meditation (LKM).Following initial training with employees of Microsoft Corporation in the United Kingdom, through a seven week intervention, participants (N=13) regularly practiced LKM, comparing results with a wait-list control group (N=15).The study showed significant increases in psychological resilience in the experimental group, along with reduced depression, anxiety and stress; while the control group changes remained insignificant.Overall, the results and prior literature suggest that LKM practice is an effective strategy for building resilience, improving employee adaptability to stress at work and so increasing employee value.