As an exploding body of clinical research confirms that mindfulness helps reduce stress and promote healing, learning and neuroplasticity, a parallel line of study on the practice of loving-kindness has begun to converge with exciting new research on positive emotions and the brain.

Remind yourself that you can act in competent, honorable and successful ways even when there is no sense of pressure.

I had a lightbulb moment recently: I was feeling stressed about all the stuff I had to do (you probably know the feeling). After this went on for a while, I stepped back and kind of watched my mind and could see that I was thinking of these various tasks as things.

It's easy to treat people well when they treat you well. The real test is when they treat you badly.

In its own quiet way, ordinary friendliness takes a stand that is almost subversive these days: that the world has many more opportunities than threats, that most people want the best for others.

Compassion is natural; you don't have to force it; just open to the difficulty, the struggle, the stress, the impact of events, the sorrow and strain in the other person.

Sometimes we feel embarrassed about our yearnings to be cared about. But they are completely normal. Love has been the primary driver of the development of the brain over the last 80 million years.

When we encounter someone, usually the mind automatically slots the person into a category: man, woman, your friend Tom, the kid next door, etc. Watch this happen in your own mind as you meet or talk with a co-worker, salesclerk or family member.