On the Relationship Between the Practice of Mindfulness Meditation and Personality-an Exploratory Analysis of the Mediating Role of Mindfulness Skills.
Paul A. M. van den Hurk, Tom Wingens, Fabio Giommi, Henk Barendregt, Anne E. M. Speckens, Hein T. van Schie
Mindfulness June 18, 2011 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-011-0060-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 70 |
| Population | 35 experienced mindfulness meditators (age 31-75 years, meditation experience 0.25-35 years) and 35 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched controls without meditation experience (age 27-63 years) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Measures | NEO-FFI, KIMS |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Post-publication review | 1 comment on PubPeer (opens in new tab) · last active August 2016 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation practice was positively associated with openness and extraversion and negatively associated with neuroticism and conscientiousness. The authors report that specific mindfulness skills mediated the relationship between meditation practice and these personality traits. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation (MM) has often been suggested to induce fundamental changes in the way events in life are experienced and dealt with, presumably leading to alterations in personality. However, the relationship between the practice of MM and personality has not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to explore this relationship and to investigate the mediating role of mindfulness skills. Thirty-five experienced mindfulness meditators (age range, 31-75 years; meditation experience range, 0.25-35 years; mean, ∼13 years) and 35 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched controls (age range, 27-63 years) without any meditation experience completed a personality (NEO-FFI) and mindfulness (KIMS) questionnaire. The practice of MM was positively related to openness and extraversion and negatively related to neuroticism and conscientiousness. Thus, the results of the current study associate the practice of MM with higher levels of curiosity and receptivity to new experiences and experience of positive affect and with less proneness toward negative emotions and worrying and a reduced focus on achievements. Furthermore, the mediating role of specific mindfulness skills in the relationship between the practice of MM and personality traits was shown.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 47
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- The Cultural Relevance of Mindfulness Meditation as a Health Intervention for African Americans Journal of Holistic Nursing January 17, 2014
- Efficacy and Moderation of Mobile App–Based Programs for Mindfulness-Based Training, Self-Compassion Training, and Cognitive Behavioral Psychoeducation on Mental Health: Randomized Controlled Noninferiority Trial JMIR Mental Health July 29, 2018
- Examining the Potential Synergistic Effects Between Mindfulness Training and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Frontiers in Psychiatry August 11, 2021
- Tourism, meditation, sustainability Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce March 31, 2016
and 42 more in the library
Cites 9
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
and 4 more in the library