For example, we provide direct scientific evidence demonstrating how the cultivation of compassion can be an effective technique to increase personal happiness. In addition, we show how empathy and compassion cause specific changes in brain function that alter the way we perceive and interact with others—for example, causing us to perceive others as being more similar to ourselves. These changes result in relating to others based more on our similarities than our differences, removing the barriers between “us” and “them.”
