The role of decentering and self-compassion in self-esteem regulation: how meditation and metacognition shape the use of self-esteem regulation strategies
Frontiers in Psychology July 10, 2026 Baran Kahraman, Lena Rader, Siegfried Gauggel et al.
Two studies examined whether decentering and self-compassion can be trained to improve self-esteem regulation. In Study 1 (230 participants), decentering was linked to higher self-affirmation, and self-compassion to lower self-protection; meditators reported higher self-esteem, decentering, and self-compassion than non-meditators. In Study 2 (66 participants), brief guided audio meditations increased decentering and self-compassion relative to a control condition, with the decentering intervention showing the strongest effects. The authors argue that enhancing decentering and self-compassion through brief practices may help improve self-esteem regulation and resilience in people vulnerable to mental health problems.