Lonelier people feel less empathic despite intact neural empathy responses after meditation training

Loneliness, which has reached an all-time high in the United States, has been linked to reduced self-reported empathy. Loving kindness meditation (LKM) is aimed at extending love and kindness to others and has been shown to increase empathy. But whether LKM can reduce loneliness, and whether this corresponds to higher levels of trait empathy, state empathy, and/or neural empathic responding, has not been assessed. In this pre-registered mixed-design randomized controlled trial, 108 participants completed LKM or active control training. Loneliness and trait empathy were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Neural empathic responding was measured in 54 participants during functional MRI by computing the multi-voxel pattern similarity between experiencing and observing both pain and fearful anticipation of pain. Both interventions reduced loneliness, but not trait empathy, which failed to support the hypothesis that LKM is effective in reducing loneliness by increasing empathy. Furthermore, we found no credible evidence that loneliness is associated with differences in neural empathic responding. However, loneliness was associated with lower self-reported empathy. Together, these results suggest that lonelier individuals simulate others’ experiences but may not subjectively perceive themselves as empathetic, emphasizing the potential of interventions that address maladaptive social cognition in loneliness.