Mindfulness meditation reduces guilt and prosocial reparation.
Andrew Hafenbrack, Matthew L. Lapalme, Isabelle Solal
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology December 23, 2021 DOI: 10.1037/pspa0000298 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,400 |
| Population | Adult participants |
| Interventions | Focused-breathing meditation Loving-kindness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Prosocial behavior Feeling Psycinfo Harm Mindfulness meditation Psychotherapist Medline |
| Citations | 69 |
| Key findings | State mindfulness from focused-breathing meditation dampens the relationship between transgressions and the desire to engage in reparative prosocial behaviors, mediated by reduced guilt. |
Abstract
> 1,400), we demonstrate that state mindfulness cultivated via focused-breathing meditation can dampen the relationship between transgressions and the desire to engage in reparative prosocial behaviors. Experiment 1 showed that induced state mindfulness reduced state guilt. Experiments 2a-2c found that induced state mindfulness reduced the willingness to engage in reparative behaviors in normally guilt-inducing situations. Experiments 3a and 3b found that guilt mediated the negative effect of mindfulness meditation on prosocial reparation. Experiment 4 demonstrated that induced state mindfulness weakened the link between a transgression and reparative behavior, as well as documented the mediating role of guilt over and above other emotions. Finally, in Experiment 5, we found that loving kindness meditation led to significantly more prosocial reparation than focused-breathing meditation, mediated by increased other-focus and feelings of love. We discuss theoretical and practical implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- Wisdom-Based Buddhist-Derived Meditation Practices for Prosocial Behaviour: A Systematic Review Mindfulness March 1, 2024
- Mindfulness training reduces slippery slope effects in moral decision-making and moral judgment Scientific Reports February 20, 2023
- Next‐generation mindfulness: A mindfulness matrix to extend the transformative potential of mindfulness for consumer, organizational, and societal wellbeing Journal of Consumer Affairs April 1, 2023
- Do contemplative practices make us more moral? Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 1, 2023
- Balancing evolutionary impulses: Effects of mindfulness on virtue food preference Journal of Consumer Affairs March 29, 2023
and 21 more in the library