Compassion’s route: a neurobiological trip

As humans, our instinct is to protect ourselves from anything that feels threatening. But, what if we could override that instinct by practicing compassion—a compassion brought about by resting in our relationship with Christ?

Paul Johns, assistant professor of human development and family science (HDFS) at Messiah, is teaching his students to do just that in a class called “Relationships and the Brain.”

Moving beyond fear

Over the summer, students Dani Shover ’19 and Alyson Fair ’18 took this social sciences course and left with tools to practice—and to choose—compassion.

Not that it was easy.

“I had to look at the idea of self-protection and compassion in my own life,” said Shover, an HDFS major, “recognizing that something from my past could make this self-protective reaction come about. When you understand the brain science behind it, you can say, ‘Ok, I can choose this time to take the compassionate route instead.’” 

The compassionate route involves moving past fear.

“Fear is a common response, triggered by what our amygdalae are telling us about our environments. And none of us wants to feel fear,” said Johns. “Empathy is sharing the feelings of others. Compassion is taking that and wanting to alleviate their pain.”

Healthy connections

What’s at the heart of compassion? Connections. The “social synapses” of our interpersonal relationships mirror the synapses of the neurons in our brains.

“The extent that neurons are connected or disconnected can reflect health, just like the extent of connection or disconnection between human beings can reflect the health of the relationship,” explained Johns.

That makes one’s relationship with God the ultimate connection. “We’re created so that God in Christ provides the deep sense of security in his love necessary to change us at a level that precedes thought,” explained Johns. “If we rest in our relationship with Christ, it goes right to the center of our brain, down to the limbic system and changes us from the inside out, so that we don’t need to be controlled by that protective instinct anymore.”

Dealing with people

How do you practice compassion with someone who is particularly difficult? For Shover, finding peace and security in her relationship with Christ is key. “When you’re free and amidst God’s love, in that moment,” she said, “you want freedom for that person so much that is masks the irritation you usually get from them.”

An art education major, Fair echoes the sentiment.

“Your knee-jerk reaction that you should develop is, ‘God loves them.’ That sounds like such a simple answer, but it’s not,” said Fair. “It’s one of the hardest answers to develop as mature Christians. That person is as intricate of a being as I am. You have no idea what a person has gone through, but in that moment you can say,  ‘You know what—God loves them’—even when they’re unlovable, because we’re all unlovable  when it comes down to it.”

Be smart

Johns cautions that compassion should not be confused with foolishness. It’s one thing to make a reflective, wise choice to move toward or away from someone, but it’s quite another to make the decision based solely on fear.

“In the first scenario, you’re free,” said Johns. “In the second scenario, you’re not free. You’re just reacting. Part of this is counter-intuitive when it comes to compassion. When you try to achieve this level of freedom in Christ based on the security of his love, you actually become more reflective and more intentional, even if it involves moving away when you need to.”

— Anna Seip