Predicting Individual Preferences in Mindfulness Techniques Using Personality Traits
Rongxiang Tang, Todd Samuel Braver
Frontiers in Psychology June 18, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01163 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults without prior mindfulness experience |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 39 |
| Key findings | Preferences for loving-kindness meditation were predicted by empathy, with women tending to prefer it more than men, while open monitoring preference was predicted by nonreactivity and nonjudgment. Participants showed higher state mindfulness during their preferred technique than other techniques. The authors argue that people prefer techniques compatible with their traits and propose tailoring mindfulness interventions to individual differences. |
Abstract
The growing popularity of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has prompted exciting scientific research investigating their beneficial effects on well-being and health. Most mindfulness programs are provided as multi-faceted packages encompassing a set of different mindfulness techniques, each with distinct focus and mechanisms. However, this approach overlooks potential individual differences, which may arise in response to practicing various mindfulness techniques. The present study investigated preferences for four prototypical mindfulness techniques [focused attention (FA), open monitoring (OM), loving-kindness (LK), and body scan (BS)] and identified factors that may contribute to individual differences in these preferences. Participants without prior mindfulness experiences were exposed to each technique through audio-guided instructions and were asked to rank their preferences at the end of all practices. Results indicated that preferences for loving-kindness were predicted by empathy, and that females tended to prefer loving-kindness more than males. Conversely, preferences for open monitoring were predicted by nonreactivity and nonjudgment of present moment experiences. Additionally, higher state mindfulness was detected for individuals' preferred technique relative to other alternatives. These findings suggest that individuals tend to prefer techniques compatible with their personalities, as the predictor variables encompass trait capacities specifically relevant to practicing these techniques. Together, our results suggest the possibility that assessing individual difference and then tailoring MBIs to individual needs could be a useful way to improve intervention effectiveness and subsequent outcomes.
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 | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| 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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Mindfulness meditation experiences of novice practitioners in an online intervention: Trajectories, predictors, and challenges. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being February 1, 2022
- What Mindfulness, and for Whom? And Why Might it Work? Mindfulness September 16, 2023
- Current Tensions and Challenges in Mindfulness Research and Practice Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy May 20, 2023
- Individual Differences in the Change of Attentional Functions With Brief One-Time Focused Attention and Open Monitoring Meditations Frontiers in Psychology October 29, 2021
- Differential relationship between meditation methods and psychotic-like and mystical experiences. PLoS One December 5, 2024
and 13 more in the library
Cites 25
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology October 27, 2008
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 20 more in the library