Why Compassion Is Vital for Human Health - with Lonnie Ali and DeVone Holt, The Muhammad Ali Center

Compassion is more than kindness—it’s the ability to notice suffering in others and take action to relieve it. Far from being abstract or vague, compassion has measurable effects on our biology, our health, and the well-being of entire communities. Research shows it lowers stress, improves immune function, strengthens social bonds, and even helps societies thrive. However, it is rarely talked about in the context of human and societal health.

In this episode of The Health Curve Podcast, host Dr. Jason Arora is joined by Lonnie Ali, Co-Founder of the Muhammad Ali Center and wife of the legendary Muhammad Ali, and DeVone Holt, the Center’s President & CEO. Together, they explore why compassion is a vital ingredient for human health and societal resilience.

At the heart of the conversation is the Muhammad Ali Index - the first tool designed to measure compassion across U.S. communities - and its inaugural application, the 2025 Compassion Report. Lonnie and Devone share how this data-driven approach carries forward Muhammad Ali’s legacy, showing that compassion can be tracked, strengthened, and scaled to drive positive change.

This episode is a reminder that compassion is not just a virtue—it’s a measurable force for human flourishing.

Links: 

The Muhammad Ali Center - https://alicenter.org/

The Muhammad Ali Index - https://aliindex.org/