How does mindfulness training improve moral cognition: A theoretical and experimental framework for the study of embodied ethics

Mindfulness meditation, often studied for its benefits to individual well-being and cognitive skills like attention and memory, may also enhance moral behavior. In Buddhist tradition, mindfulness cultivates wholesome actions and prosocial qualities. This article proposes that increased awareness of physiological and mental states after mindfulness training could change how morally relevant information is processed, promoting moral action. It summarizes neuroscientific research on moral cognition and offers a theoretical and experimental framework for studying the link between mindfulness and ethical behavior.

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Abstract

Mindfulness meditation has been primarily studied within the context of individual’s psychological well being and/or in relation to it’s potential to enhance cognitive skills such as attention and working memory. However, in Buddhism, mindfulness is used as a tool to cultivate wholesome actions, and as a means to promote virtuous, prosocial qualities. In this article, we postulate that heightened awareness of physiological and mental phenomena following mindfulness training may contribute to altered processing of morally relevant information and promote moral action. We will first briefly summarize neuroscientific investigations into moral cognition, and provide a theoretical and an experimental framework for the investigation of the relationship between mindfulness and ethical behavior.