in relationships, it typically takes about five positive interactions to overcome the effects of a single negative one (Gottman 1995). - Rick Hanson

in your brain, loving-kindness mobilizes prefrontal language and intention networks as well as limbic emotion and reward networks.

Richard and I both believe that something transcendental is involved with the mind, consciousness, and the path of awakening — call it God, Spirit, Buddha-nature, the Ground, or by no name at all. Whatever it is, by definition it’s beyond the physical universe. Since it cannot be proven one way or another, it is important — and consistent with the spirit of science — to respect it as a possibility.

We develop mental resources in two stages. First, we need to experience what we want to grow, such as feeling grateful, loved, or confident. Second — critically important — we must convert that passing experience into a lasting change in the nervous system.