Positive-Negative Affectivity and Decision Making Among Mindfulness Meditators and Non-Meditators
Abhinav Das, Yogesh Kumar Arya, Shubham Pandey, Akanksha Srivastava, Himanshu Chauhan, Yamini Thakur
Mind and Society July 20, 2023 DOI: 10.56011/mind-mri-122-20234 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study with experimental affect induction Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 100 |
| Population | 50 mindfulness meditators and 50 non-meditators |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Measures | Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), International Affective Picture System (IAPS) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditators performed equally well on the Iowa Gambling Task under both positive and negative affect conditions, while non-meditators performed better only under positive affect. Meditators also scored significantly higher on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. The authors suggest mindfulness meditation enhances decision-making by promoting effective emotion regulation and suppressing impulsive responses. |
Abstract
Mindfulness has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential benefits for cognitive and emotional processes. However, how mindfulness interplays with affect to exert its effect on decision-making remains relatively less explored. The present study examined and compared the performance of both mindfulness meditators and non-meditators on decisionmaking tasks under different affective states. A total of 100 participants (50 mindfulness meditators and 50 non-meditators) responded to the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and performed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Both groups were further divided into positive affect and negative affect conditions. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) was used to induce positive and negative affective states among the participants. The baseline affective state of the participants was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Independent sample t-tests and a univariate ANOVA were computed to analyze the obtained data. Results showed that mindfulness meditators scored significantly higher on the total FFMQ as well as on its different facets. Furthermore, the results revealed a significant main effect of mindfulness and the affect group on IGT performance. The interaction between mindfulness and affective conditions was also found to be significant. Mindfulness meditators performed equally well on IGT under both positive and negative affect conditions, whereas non-meditators performed better only under positive affect conditions. The findings have practical implications, as they suggest that mindfulness meditation enhances decision-making by promoting effective emotion regulation and suppressing impulsive responses during decision-making in different domains of life.
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
Cites 10
- 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
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- A Review of Mindfulness Improves Decision Making and Future Prospects Psychology 2018
- The effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on cognitive skills in young soccer players Exercise and Quality of Life January 3, 2025
and 5 more in the library