Effects of Brief Mindfulness Meditation on Attention Switching

Brief mindfulness training reduced overall reaction times on an attention-switching task after anxiety was induced, compared with worry induction or free mind-wandering. However, mindfulness did not specifically reduce the cost of switching between tasks. The findings suggest that mindfulness may free up attentional resources otherwise consumed by anxiety-related thoughts, improving general cognitive efficiency rather than switching ability per se.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Attention switching is postulated in many theories as a crucial executive function related to mindfulness. However, the existing literature does not provide convincing support for this claim. Based on the attentional control theory, the presented experiment tested the hypothesis that brief mindfulness training improves attention switching in the presence of anxiety. Seventy-four undergraduates (53 women) with an average age of 22.25 years (SD = 2.42) performed a pre-test switching task, watched an emotional film clip, and then were randomly assigned to three conditions: brief mindfulness training, worry induction, and free mind-wandering, followed by a post-test switching task. We found reduced overall reaction times (i.e., for both switch and no-switch trials) in mindfulness compared with worry and free mind-wandering conditions (F[2,68.9] = 5.09, p = .009, η2 = .13), but no differences between conditions with regard to the switch cost. The results are discussed in the context of working memory capacity and processing speed theory. We suggest that mindfulness may release attentional resources otherwise engaged in the inhibition of task-irrelevant thinking associated with anxiety and thus facilities the general efficiency of cognitive processes. Suggestions for future research are proposed.