Vera U. Ludwig

2 papers in the library · 71 citations · publishing 2020-2025

Papers

Self-Regulation Without Force: Can Awareness Leverage Reward to Drive Behavior Change?

Perspectives on Psychological Science August 28, 2020 Vera U. Ludwig, Kirk Warren Brown, Judson A. Brewer 69 citations

Self-regulation is often seen as a struggle between impulses and willpower, but an alternative approach emphasizes autonomous motivation, where behavior aligns with personal values or intrinsic satisfaction. Advances in neuroscience show that reward valuation involves brain regions like the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex, and clinical treatments like mindfulness training suggest a shift from forced to unforced behavior change. This paper proposes that bringing awareness to subjective experience and behavior can change the valuation of learned unhealthy behaviors, leading to sustainable self-regulatory shifts without relying on willpower.

DOI: 10.1177/1745691620931460 Mindfulness Ventromedial prefrontal cortex Cognitive psychology Self-control +12

Synchronous Smiles and Hearts: Dyadic Meditations Enhance Closeness and Prosocial Behavior in Virtual and In-Person Settings.

Mindfulness January 1, 2025 Vera U. Ludwig, Lana Prieur, Scott M Rennie et al. 2 citations

A two-minute shared-gazing exercise called Just-Like-Me (JLM), in which partners contemplate shared humanity while looking at each other, increased feelings of closeness by about one standard deviation both online and in person. The effect was larger than solitary meditation and, when done in person, larger than mutual gazing without contemplation. JLM also boosted prosocial behavior in a dictator game and induced synchrony in smiling and heart rates. Synchronized smiling partly explained the relational benefits. The findings suggest that brief dyadic meditations can foster social connection and may help address loneliness.

DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02588-7 Full text Loneliness Remote Synchrony Dyadic meditations +7