Add to ORKGI will be introducing the field of social neurosciences focusing on the questions of how people relate to and understand each other. Cognitive perspective taking is differentiated from concepts of emotion contagion, empathy, and compassion; the former represents a cognitive route to the understanding of others, the latter a motivational and affective route. Emerging fields such as affective-social and contemplative neurosciences have produced promising findings, suggesting that training of mental capacities such as attention, perspective taking, empathy and compassion is effective and leads to changes in brain functions associated with increases in positive affect, pro-social behavior, and better health. After a review of recent psychologic...