Self-compassion promotes health-related behaviors. Research suggests that self-compassion is an important feature of healthy aging and is associated with behaviors like seeking medical treatment when needed. individuals trained to feel compassionate about the difficulties of giving up smoking reduced their smoking to a greater extent than those trained to reflect upon and monitor their smoking. The self-compassion intervention was especially effective among those who were highly self-critical or resistant to change. Other research suggests that increasing self-compassion helps alcohol-dependent individuals reduce their alcohol use. Self-compassionate women have been found to be more intrinsically motivated to exercise, and their goals for exercising were related to health rather than ego-concerns.
In addition to behavioral changes, self-compassion may enhance health directly by strengthening immune function. A recent study found that individuals with higher levels of self-compassion displayed better immune function when exposed to a standard laboratory-based stressor (the Trier Social Stress Test). Moreover, self-compassion predicted immune response even when controlling for self-esteem and depression levels.
