Mindfulness Promotes a More Balanced Time Perspective: Correlational and Intervention-Based Evidence
Michael Rönnlund, Antonina Koudriavtseva, Linnea Germundsjö, Terese Eriksson, Elisabeth Åström, Maria Grazia Carelli
Mindfulness February 22, 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-019-01113-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study and intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 212 |
| Population | Adults with little experience of mindfulness training |
| Interventions | mindfulness instructor course mindful self-compassion program |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Rumination Psychological intervention Worry Clinical psychology Perspective graphical Intervention counseling Self-compassion Developmental psychology Cognition |
| Citations | 53 |
| Key findings | Higher mindfulness is associated with a more balanced time perspective, and mindfulness-based interventions reduce deviations from balanced time perspective. |
Abstract
To investigate the relationship between mindfulness and aspects of time perspective (TP, i.e., habitual views of past, present, future). We examined cross-sectional associations between an established measure of mindfulness (FFMQ) and an extended version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (Swedish ZTPI; S-ZTPI) in a sample with little experience of mindfulness training (n = 212). In addition, we evaluated the effects of two mindfulness-based interventions (a mindfulness instructor course involving 29 participants and a mindful self-compassion program, n = 40 for the intervention group, n = 41 for controls) on mindfulness and measures of TP including an aggregate measure of deviations from a proposed optimal, or balanced, time perspective (DBTP). Cross-sectional data were consistent with a model by which part of the relationship between mindfulness and perceived stress is mediated by reduced DBTP. Global mindfulness scores showed the strongest (negative) associations with the S-ZTPI scales Future Negative and Past Negative. Comparisons of pre/post-intervention data revealed significant mindfulness-based intervention-related reductions of DBTP (Cohen’s d = − 0.46), with lowered scores on Past Negative and Future Negative and a small increase on Past Positive. The results support the notion that a higher level of mindfulness promotes a more balanced time perspective, with a reduced focus on negative aspects of the past and negative anticipations of the future. Relations to repetitive negative thought processes (rumination, worry) and a potential bidirectional influence of mindfulness and aspects of time perspective are discussed.