Mapping a Culture of Mindfulness: Lay Conceptions of Mindfulness and Why They Matter

Abstract Objectives Prior scholarly literature has investigated definitions of mindfulness, yet limited research has examined how contemporary mindfulness is culturally constructed among lay individuals (i.e., non-academic researchers). The present mixed-methods study sought to provide an initial mapping of the context of ideas and cultural orientations that inform lay people’s understanding of mindfulness. Further, we assessed how one’s level of contemplative experience informs qualitative definitions of mindfulness among US participants. Participants were also asked quantitative questions about their views of mindfulness and their understanding of the relationship between “mindfulness” and “meditation”.

Methods: Our analytic sample ( n = 100; 61.6% female) consisted of 50 inexperienced college student participants (ISPs) as well as 50 experienced community members (ECMs).

Results: Using qualitative content analysis, six categories were identified: (1) “Religious, Spiritual, and Philosophical,” (2) “Attention/Observing,” (3) “Calming and Grounding,” (4) “Tenets of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction,” (5) “Virtue Cultivation” and (6) “Awareness”. Based on chi-square tests, ECMs endorsed Categories 2 and 4 more frequently than ISPs, while ISPs endorsed Categories 3 and 6 more than ECMs. ECMs more often endorsed mindfulness as intended for “seeing that there is no substantive self” (vs. “cultivating an authentic self”) and that “mindfulness is a specific type of meditation” compared to ISPs. ISPs were more likely to endorse that “mindfulness is different from meditation” compared to ECMs.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that lay people’s preconceived ideas about what mindfulness is, and what it entails, vary based on prior contemplative experience. Further, these findings help illustrate that conceptions of mindfulness in the USA may be influenced by distinctive cultural framings. Preregistration This study was not preregistered.