When Traits Match States: Examining the Associations between Self-Report Trait and State Mindfulness following a State Mindfulness Induction.
Adrian J. Bravo, Matthew R Pearson, Adam D. Wilson, Katie Witkiewitz
Mindfulness February 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-017-0763-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 299 |
| Population | College students, including 93 with previous mindfulness meditation experience |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | College students Mindfulness experience Mindfulness induction State mindfulness Trait mindfulness |
| Key findings | A brief mindfulness exercise focused on bodily sensations and the breath increased state mindfulness of body but not state mindfulness of mind. Trait and state mindfulness showed only limited associations. Participants with previous meditation experience and higher observing facet scores had the highest state mindfulness of body and mind, and among experienced meditators these associations grew stronger with more frequent meditation practice; some other interactions ran counter to expectations. |
Abstract
Previous research has found inconsistent relationships between trait mindfulness and state mindfulness. To extend previous research, we sought to examine the unique associations between self-report trait mindfulness and state mindfulness by levels of meditation experience (meditation-naïve vs. meditation-experienced) and by mindfulness induction (experimentally induced mindful state vs. control group). We recruited 299 college students (93 with previous mindfulness meditation experience) to participate in an experiment that involved the assessment of five facets of trait mindfulness (among other constructs), followed by a mindfulness induction (vs. control), followed by the assessment of state mindfulness of body and mind. Correlational analyses revealed limited associations between trait mindfulness facets and facets of state mindfulness, and demonstrated that a brief mindfulness exercise focused on bodily sensations and the breath elicited higher state mindfulness of body but not state mindfulness of mind. We found significant interactions such that individuals with previous meditation experience and higher scores on the observing facet of trait mindfulness had the highest levels of state mindfulness of body and mind. Among individuals with meditation experience, the strengths of the associations between observing trait mindfulness and the state mindfulness facets increased with frequency of meditation practice. Some other interactions ran counter to expectations. Overall, the relatively weak associations between trait and state mindfulness demonstrates the need to improve our operationalizations of mindfulness, advance our understanding of how to best cultivate mindfulness, and reappraise the ways in which mindfulness can manifest as a state and as a trait.
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 31
- The effect of ten versus twenty minutes of mindfulness meditation on state mindfulness and affect. Scientific Reports November 24, 2023
- Health Workers' Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Resilience During COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare 2024
- Meditative State Scale (MSS): Psychometric Validation and Exploration of Gamma-Band Correlates Mindfulness September 27, 2022
- Development and Initial Validation of the State Four Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Assessment March 31, 2025
- Effect of daily mindfulness fluctuations on sleep and recovery-stress states in elite level judoka: an observational study. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2025
and 26 more in the library
Cites 19
- 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
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- 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
and 14 more in the library