Key to happiness and well-being


Research published in The Journal of Research in Personality found that self-compassion had a significant positive association with self-reported measures of happiness, optimism, positive affect, wisdom, personal initiative, curiosity and exploration, agreeableness, extroversion and conscientious. In addition it found significant negative association with negative affects.

Self-compassion is a healthy form of self-acceptance manifested as being kind toward oneself in instances of pain or failure; perceiving one’s experiences as part of the larger human experience; and holding painful thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness.

Self-compassion is a powerful predictor of mental health; it is positively associated with life satisfaction and social connectedness, and negatively associated with self-criticism, depression and anxiety . Happiness and Optimism the two important features of positive mental health are strongly associated with self-compassion

Self-compassion is the warm and accepting stance towards aspects of oneself and one’s life that are disliked, and is a product of three factors, kindness, common humanity and mindfulness:

1. Being kind and understanding to oneself in instances of suffering or perceived inadequacy.

2. Cultivating a sense of common humanity, recognizing that pain and failure are unavoidable aspects of
the shared human experience.

3. Cultivating a balanced awareness of one’s emotions. This means cultivating the ability to accept
without exaggeration, drama or self-pity our painful thoughts and feelings rather than avoiding them.

Ref: Kristin D. Neff, Stephanie S. Rude, Kristin L. Kirkpatrick, Journal of Research in Personality 41 (2007) 908–916 909

Find Counsellors & Therapists Near You
Talk through your feelings with a recommended Counsellor or Therapist near you From face to face to online sessions, we’ll find you the best local professionals to help you. Whether you’re looking for help with work stress, grief or a relationship breakdown, we can connect you to a range of professionals who will listen and advise.

Close this Box
100% secure