Of Breathing and Lying: The (Null) Effect of a Brief Mindfulness Meditation on Immoral Behavior at Work
Simon Schindler, Julia Schindler, Stefan Pfattheicher, Jan Lehrke, Marc-André Reinhard
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 250 |
| Population | Adults participating in a workplace-bullying cover-up paradigm; a separate group of 171 independent observers |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Mind-wandering Positive affirmation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Participants who bullied a colleague and lied about it reported significantly higher guilt and stress than those who told the truth, but the brief mental exercise (mindfulness, mind-wandering, or positive affirmation) did not significantly moderate this effect. Observers were more likely to judge true statements as true than false statements, showing a truth bias, and this was also not significantly moderated by mental exercise. The authors suggest limited effects of brief mindfulness meditations on internal regulation and lying advantages. |
Abstract
Mindfulness practices have been linked to enhanced emotional regulation, cognitive control and, consequently, prosocial behavior. However, these regulatory capacities may also facilitate coping with guilt and stress following immoral actions. The present research tested whether a brief mindfulness meditation facilitates more successful lying about a bullying incident at work. In this experiment, 250 participants were randomly assigned to one of three mental exercise conditions (mindfulness, mind-wandering, positive affirmation). In a workplace-bullying cover-up paradigm, participants delivered either a false or a true statement in response to an accusation of having bullied a colleague at work. Participants who bullied a colleague and then lied about it reported significantly higher feelings of guilt and stress compared to those who told the truth about not bullying. However, this effect was not significantly moderated by mental exercise. In a follow-up study, 171 independent observers viewed the recorded statements and judged their veracity. As expected, observers were more likely to judge true statements as true compared to false statements (i.e., a stronger truth bias when judging true statements). Again, however, this effect was not significantly moderated by mental exercise. These findings suggest limited effects of brief mindfulness meditations on internal regulation and on advantages in lying.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |