Tania Singer, PhD - The Science of Human Connection
Dr. Tania Singer shares science-backed insights on empathy, compassion, and the social brain, offering practical tools for reducing stress, improving connection, and supporting long-term mental well-being.
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Episode Overview
In this episode, social neuroscientist Dr. Tania Singer explains the science behind empathy versus compassion and why understanding the difference is essential for emotional well-being and mental health. Drawing on her pioneering neuroimaging research, she shows how empathy activates the brain’s distress networks, while compassion engages warm, caregiving circuits that support resilience, motivation to help, and long-term emotional balance. Her work with experienced meditators, including Matthieu Ricard, offers a rare look at how compassion reshapes the brain through neuroplasticity.
Dr. Singer also shares insights from the ReSource Project, the largest study ever conducted on mental training. She explains how practices such as attention training, compassion exercises, and perspective-taking each strengthen different brain networks. One of the major findings from her research is that partner-based practices significantly reduce social stress, lowering cortisol levels far more effectively than solo mindfulness meditation. These results highlight practical, evidence-based tools for stress reduction, compassion training, and stronger emotional resilience.
The conversation expands into how compassion-based training is being introduced into schools, healthcare systems, and workplaces to address burnout and improve social connection. Dr. Singer also describes her vision of caring economics, which challenges outdated assumptions about human behavior and emphasizes cooperation, social connection, and psychological well-being. This episode offers a grounded, science-backed look at how we can reshape the social brain and build a more compassionate society through daily mental training.
P.S. — If you’re serious about starting or deepening your meditation practice, check out the FitMind meditation app.
Dr. Tania Singer Bio
Dr. Tania Singer is a leading social neuroscientist whose work focuses on empathy, compassion, and the trainability of the social brain. She previously served as Director of the Department of Social Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute and is now the Scientific Director of the Social Neuroscience Lab in Berlin. Her research integrates psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative science to understand how inner practices shape emotional resilience and interpersonal behavior.
She is best known for the ReSource Project, the largest longitudinal study on mental training. This multi-year program revealed how different meditation practices affect the brain, stress responses, and prosocial tendencies while clarifying the key distinction between empathy and compassion.
Dr. Singer’s work extends beyond the lab through collaborations with educators, healthcare leaders, economists, and contemplative traditions. She advocates for building more caring, cooperative societies by bringing evidence-based compassion training into daily life, institutions, and systems.
Show Notes
0:00 | Empathy vs. Compassion: Understanding the Brain Networks
02:57 | The Journey into Social Neuroscience
06:15 | Landmark Studies on Empathy and Pain
10:50 | Compassion: A Deeper Understanding
14:32 | The Resource Project: Mental Training Programs
20:47 | Dyadic Practices: Enhancing Social Connection
24:34 | Cortisol Levels and Social Stress
28:40 | Implementing Programs in Education and Healthcare
34:14 | Caring Economics: A New Vision for Society
40:49 | Where to Find Dr. Singer’s Courses
Website: https://taniasinger.de