Daily mindfulness, stress reactivity, and the impact on daily health behaviors and emotional well-being

On days when undergraduates reported higher levels of mindfulness, they also reported more positive health behaviors and greater emotional well-being. However, daily mindfulness did not reduce stress reactivity to negative events. The study used a daily diary method over seven consecutive nights and measured mindfulness with the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, which showed variability both between people and within the same person from day to day.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Using a daily diary methodology, we assessed the influence of daily (state) mindfulness on daily health behaviors, emotional well-being, and reactivity to negative events. Undergraduates completed nightly surveys for seven consecutive days reporting on their mindfulness, affect, daily events, and health behaviors (i.e., eating, exercise, and sleep). Results indicated that mindfulness (using the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, or FFMQ) demonstrated both within- and between- person variability. Moreover, there were significant associations between daily mindfulness and daily health and emotional well-being, such that on days when an individual reported being more mindful, they also reported higher levels of some positive health behaviors and higher levels of emotional well-being. Surprisingly, daily mindfulness was not found to impact stress reactivity on a daily level. To our knowledge this study is the first to assess state mindfulness using the full FFMQ, and to examine associations between state mindfulness, daily health behaviors, and stress reactivity.