Compassion

Think of a student sitting silently after a failed test. A classmate notices. What happens then? We can walk past. We can think "well, she just needs to study more." Or we can pause and think: "This looks hard for her. I wonder whether I can do something?"

The third option is an example of compassion.

What does research say about compassion?

Compassion is about noticing that someone is struggling, trying to understand the situation and having a willingness to help make things better. It is therefore more than feeling empathy. Compassion also contains a motivation to help.

What is interesting is that compassion does not only seem to be good for the person receiving support. Research shows that it can also matter for the person showing compassion.

A large meta-analysis from 2025, which brought together 37 studies and 54 effect sizes, found a clear positive association between compassion for others and wellbeing. The association applied to psychological and social wellbeing and to positive emotions, among other things.

That does not mean we can say compassion automatically causes better wellbeing. A large part of the research shows associations, and the researchers call for more studies that can say more about cause and effect. The studies that have examined training in compassion do, however, give promising results.

Compassion in the small situations

So what might this mean at school? Perhaps that compassion can be practised in the small situations.

Noticing when someone seems to be struggling.

Trying to understand before we judge.

Asking "How are you?" instead of going straight to a solution.

Daring to help, even when it is only something small.

It does not have to be a major undertaking. Compassion can be present in a conversation in the corridor, in how we speak to a classmate who has embarrassed themselves, or in how a teacher meets a student who has just had a bad day.

And perhaps that is exactly what makes compassion so interesting at school: it shows in how we choose to act when we see that someone else is struggling.

What does research say about compassion?​

Compassion in the small situations​

Further reading​

What does research say about compassion?

Compassion in the small situations

Further reading