Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs.
Michael D. Mrazek, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler
Emotion February 6, 2012 DOI: 10.1037/a0026678 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindful breathing |
| Duration | 8 minutes of mindful breathing |
| Measures | Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Sustained Attention to Response Task |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mind-wandering Cognitive psychology Convergence economics Psychotherapist Cognition |
| Citations | 604 |
| Post-publication review | 1 comment on PubPeer (opens in new tab) · last active September 2016 |
| Key findings | Dispositional mindfulness negatively correlates with mind-wandering, and a brief mindful breathing intervention reduces behavioral indicators of mind-wandering. |
Abstract
Research into both mindfulness and mind-wandering has grown rapidly, yet clarification of the relationship between these two seemingly opposing constructs is still absent. A first study addresses the relationship between a dispositional measure of mindfulness (Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale, MAAS) and converging measures of both self-reported and indirect markers of mind-wandering. Negative correlations between dispositional mindfulness and 4 measures of mind-wandering confirm the opposing relationship between the 2 constructs and further validate the use of the MAAS as a dispositional measure of mindfulness. A second study demonstrated that 8 minutes of mindful breathing reduces behavioral indicators of mind-wandering during a Sustained Attention to Response Task compared with both passive relaxation and reading. Together these studies clarify the opposition between the constructs of mindfulness and mind-wandering and so should lead to greater convergence between what have been predominately separate, yet mutually relevant, lines of research.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition | |
| Debiasing the Mind Through Meditation | 2013 | Correlational and experimental |
Citations in the library
Cited by 144
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Contemplating Mindfulness at Work Journal of Management November 19, 2015
- Debiasing the Mind Through Meditation Psychological Science December 6, 2013
and 139 more in the library
Cites 19
- 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
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
and 14 more in the library