The role of compassion for meaning in life and life satisfaction

Abstract: This study examined compassion for self and for others, and how these factors were related to meaning in life and life satisfaction among university students in Sweden. A total of 265 students from different faculties, most of them at Lund university, responded to a self-report questionnaire including the short form self-compassion scale (SCS-SF), the compassion scale (CS), the multidimensional existential meaning scale (MEMS) and the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS). Results revealed that both self-compassion and compassion for others were positively related to life satisfaction, and this relation was strongest for self-compassion. Results further suggested that meaning in life functions as a mediating mechanism. For self-compassion, the mediation was partial whereas the positive association between compassion for others and life satisfaction was fully absorbed by increased meaning in life. This suggests that compassion for self and for others are important factors in understanding meaning in life, meaning in life in turn being important to understand the association between compassion and life satisfaction. The results also indicated that women in particular, who had significantly lower levels of self-compassion than men, may benefit from self-compassion based interventions.