Open your eyes for others' worldviews: How mindfulness meditation at home shapes next-day perspective taking and employees' functioning.
Charlotte Hohnemann, Vera M Schweitzer, Fabienne Aust, Corinna Peifer, Stefan Diestel
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology April 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1037/ocp0000426 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA brief 7-minute evening mindfulness meditation improved next-day perspective taking—understanding others' viewpoints—which in turn boosted extra-role performance, in-role performance, and work engagement. 64 participants from various sectors in Germany took part in a 10-day within-person field experiment, receiving the mindfulness intervention on 5 days and an active control on the other days. The mindfulness intervention showed a positive effect on next-day perspective taking, while the control did not. The findings suggest that evening meditation can enhance understanding of others at work, improving performance and motivation.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Within-person field experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Participants from different sectors in Germany |
| Duration | 10 days (5 intervention days, 5 control days; next-day outcomes measured) |
| Key finding | A brief evening mindfulness meditation improved next-day perspective taking, which in turn predicted higher extra-role performance, in-role performance, and work engagement. |
Abstract
Can a brief meditation in the evening reshape our understanding of others at work during the next day, thereby enhancing the actor's performance and motivation? To address this question, we examine spillover effects of a brief meditation in the evening on next-day extra-role performance, in-role performance, and work engagement, considering perspective taking as explaining mechanism. Sixty-four participants from different sectors in Germany took part in our within-person field experiment over 10 days, receiving a 7-min mindfulness intervention on 5 days and an active control intervention on the other days. Our results supported a positive effect of the mindfulness intervention on next-day perspective taking, while the control intervention showed no effect. In turn, perspective taking predicted day-specific extra-role performance, in-role performance, and work engagement. The mindfulness intervention exerted significant indirect effects on all outcomes via perspective taking. These results help to clarify how an evening meditation enhances our understanding of others at work, improving performance and motivation. They further support employees in making an informed decision about whether they want to engage in evening meditation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).