MeditationNCT06424951
Kindness is Lesser Preferable Than Happiness: Investigating Interest in Different Effects of the Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations
A study testing LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations) in people with Meditation, run by Beijing Normal University at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
As an initial step, Study 1 intended to compare the interest in different effects of LKCM among a convenient sample of university students. In order to separate different effects and close to application in real setting, the study will measure participants' interest in participating in proposed meditations, each of… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 16 to 72 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Meditation
- What is being tested?
- LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,658 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 1 Feb 2019to 1 Aug 2020
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 16 to 72 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
For study 1 Participants were recruited from two universities in Mainland China with the help of university staff. No other eligibility tests were required.
For study 2 Participants with or without religious beliefs or meditation experience could participate in the study. Each person is required to complete a 21-day meditation course.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
As an initial step, Study 1 intended to compare the interest in different effects of LKCM among a convenient sample of university students. In order to separate different effects and close to application in real setting, the study will measure participants' interest in participating in proposed meditations, each of which aimed to generate one specific effect. The kind attitudes were represented by compassion for others, compassion for oneself, and appreciative joy for others, which were emphasized in the real LKCM trainings. The emotional well-being included increasing positive emotion, decreasing negative emotion and improving peacefulness, which were validated effects of LKCM. Other validated effects were also measured as fillers and used as additional explorations. The core hypothesis was that the interest in meditations on kind attitudes is significantly lower than interest in meditations on emotional well-being.
The current study created a measure called Willingness to Participate in Meditation Trainings (WPMT). Participants rated their willingness to participate in nine meditation trainings that serve different purposes. Each meditation was rated by one item ("if the purpose of meditation training is to xxx, how much are you willing to participate?" where "xxx" indicates the purposes listed below) and was measured with a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (0 = totally unwilling to participate, 100 = totally willing to participate).
Study 2 adopted WPMT in a 21-day online LKCM training. This make sure all participants really took part in meditation training, and allowed further exploration on how participants' WPMT were associated with the adherence and effects of training. To be more sensitive for the change during short training, the effects of training used state-like measures and still focused on two aspects: (1) personal happiness (happiness, sadness, peacefulness) which matched emotional well-being, and (2) interpersonal relationship (love, hate, gratitude) which reflected kind attitudes. The core hypotheses were that higher interest in meditations on Emotional Well-being and Kind attitudes predicted increases in personal happiness and interpersonal relationship, respectively.
- Conditions
- Meditation
- Being tested
- LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations)
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations)Behavioural
Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| LKCMs | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Interest in Different Effects of LKCM Training
The core hypothesis was that the interest in meditations on kind attitudes is significantly lower than interest in meditations on emotional well-being.
The study created a measure called Willingness to Participate in Meditation Trainings (WPMT). Participants rated their willingness to participate in nine meditation trainings that serve different purposes. Each meditation was rated by one item ("if the purpose of meditation training is to xxx, how much are you willing to participate?" where "xxx" indicates the purposes listed below) and was measured with a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (0 = totally unwilling to participate, 100 = totally willing to participate).
Measured: 4 months
Interest in Different Effects and Their Relation with Results of Training
The core hypotheses were that higher interest in meditations on Emotional Well-being and Kind attitudes predicted increases in personal happiness and interpersonal relationship, respectively.
The study adopted WPMT in a 21-day online LKCM training. The measure of WPMT was basically the same with that in Study 1, and it directly asked the interests in the current 21-day meditation training.
The measure for effects of training used word lists, which measured the frequency of 10 types of experience in the past week, with three items for each type.
Measured: 3 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 May 2024
- Study start1 Feb 2019
- Primary completion14 Jun 2020
- Study completion1 Aug 2020
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for MeditationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 1,658 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Beijing Normal University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06424951
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- KM202210028001
- Status last verified
- May 2024
- First submitted
- 14 May 2024
- Last updated
- 22 May 2024
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Deng Y, Du T, Zeng X, Wang W. Kindness is lesser preferable than happiness: investigating interest in different effects of the loving-kindness and compassion meditations. BMC Psychol. 2025 Apr 26;13(1):443. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02771-4.
PubMed 40287761
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 22 May 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Kindness is Lesser Preferable Than Happiness: Investigating Interest in Different Effects of the Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06424951
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- KM202210028001
- Conditions
- Meditation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,658 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Beijing Normal UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Feb 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 14 Jun 2020 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Aug 2020 (actual)
- First posted
- 22 May 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
As an initial step, Study 1 intended to compare the interest in different effects of LKCM among a convenient sample of university students. In order to separate different effects and close to application in real setting, the study will measure participants' interest in participating in proposed meditations, each of which aimed to generate one specific effect. The kind attitudes were represented by compassion for others, compassion for oneself, and appreciative joy for others, which were emphasized in the real LKCM trainings. The emotional well-being included increasing positive emotion, decreasing negative emotion and improving peacefulness, which were validated effects of LKCM. Other validated effects were also measured as fillers and used as additional explorations. The core hypothesis was that the interest in meditations on kind attitudes is significantly lower than interest in meditations on emotional well-being.
The current study created a measure called Willingness to Participate in Meditation Trainings (WPMT). Participants rated their willingness to participate in nine meditation trainings that serve different purposes. Each meditation was rated by one item ("if the purpose of meditation training is to xxx, how much are you willing to participate?" where "xxx" indicates the purposes listed below) and was measured with a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (0 = totally unwilling to participate, 100 = totally willing to participate).
Study 2 adopted WPMT in a 21-day online LKCM training. This make sure all participants really took part in meditation training, and allowed further exploration on how participants' WPMT were associated with the adherence and effects of training. To be more sensitive for the change during short training, the effects of training used state-like measures and still focused on two aspects: (1) personal happiness (happiness, sadness, peacefulness) which matched emotional well-being, and (2) interpersonal relationship (love, hate, gratitude) which reflected kind attitudes. The core hypotheses were that higher interest in meditations on Emotional Well-being and Kind attitudes predicted increases in personal happiness and interpersonal relationship, respectively.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| LKCMs | Experimental | Behavioral: LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 16 to 72 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations)Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations | Behavioural | LKCMs |
Primary outcome
Interest in Different Effects of LKCM Training
Time frame: 4 months
The core hypothesis was that the interest in meditations on kind attitudes is significantly lower than interest in meditations on emotional well-being. The study created a measure called Willingness to Participate in Meditation Trainings (WPMT). Participants rated their willingness to participate in nine meditation trainings that serve different purposes. Each meditation was rated by one item ("if the purpose of meditation training is to xxx, how much are you willing to participate?" where "xxx" indicates the purposes listed below) and was measured with a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (0 = totally unwilling to participate, 100 = totally willing to participate).
Interest in Different Effects and Their Relation with Results of Training
Time frame: 3 months
The core hypotheses were that higher interest in meditations on Emotional Well-being and Kind attitudes predicted increases in personal happiness and interpersonal relationship, respectively. The study adopted WPMT in a 21-day online LKCM training. The measure of WPMT was basically the same with that in Study 1, and it directly asked the interests in the current 21-day meditation training. The measure for effects of training used word lists, which measured the frequency of 10 types of experience in the past week, with three items for each type.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 22 May 2024.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40287761Deng Y, Du T, Zeng X, Wang W. Kindness is lesser preferable than happiness: investigating interest in different effects of the loving-kindness and compassion meditations. BMC Psychol. 2025 Apr 26;13(1):443. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02771-4.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing LKCM(Loving-kindness and Compassion Meditations) in people with Meditation, run by Beijing Normal University at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 May 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Interest in Different Effects of LKCM Training (time frame: 4 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06424951, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 May 2024.