Mindfulness may be associated with less prosocial engagement among high intelligence individuals.
Qingke Guo, Sisi Li, Jingu Liang, Xinxin Yu, Yiqing Lv
Scientific Reports March 14, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31039-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 759 |
| Population | College students (mean age 22.03; 477 female) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Personality Empathy Arousal Female |
| Key findings | Empathy mediated a positive association between intelligence and prosocial behavior. Dispositional mindfulness negatively moderated all hypothesized pathways: with higher mindfulness, the intelligence-prosociality association changed from positive to negative, the intelligence-empathy association became nonsignificant, and the empathy-prosociality association weakened. The authors suggest that present-moment awareness and acceptance of the status quo may reduce arousal when witnessing others' suffering, potentially preventing high-intelligence individuals from helping. |
Abstract
This study examined the role of dispositional mindfulness in the association between intelligence and prosocial behavior. A total of 759 college students (mean age is 22.03; 477 females) participated in exchange for extra credit in psychology course. The results confirmed a positive relationship between intelligence and prosocial behavior as revealed by many studies, with empathy serving as a potential mediator. Mindfulness negatively moderated all the hypothesized pathways between research variables. Specifically, with the increase of the levels of dispositional mindfulness, (1) the intelligence-prosociality association changed from positive to negative, (2) the intelligence-empathy association changed from positively significant to insignificant, (3) the empathy-prosociality association changed from stronger to weaker. These findings may suggest some limitations of mindfulness. That is, present moment awareness and acceptance of the status quo may result in reduced arousal when witnessing others suffering, thereby preventing high intelligence individuals from helping the sufferers to get rid of trouble.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction effects on moral reasoning and decision making The Journal of Positive Psychology September 11, 2012
- Mindfulness increases prosocial responses toward ostracized strangers through empathic concern. Journal of Experimental Psychology General 2018
- Mindfulness meditation reduces guilt and prosocial reparation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology December 23, 2021
- Assessment of mindfulness by self-report. Current Opinion in Psychology November 10, 2018
and 2 more in the library