State Mindfulness During Meditation Predicts Enhanced Cognitive Reappraisal

Abstract

Putatively, mindfulness meditation involves generation of a state of “nonappraisal”, yet, little is known about how mindfulness may influence appraisal processes. We investigated whether the state and practice of mindfulness could enhance cognitive reappraisal. Participants (N = 44; M age = 24.44, SD = 4.00, range 19 – 38, 82.2% female) were randomized to either 1) mindfulness, 2) suppression, or 3) mind-wandering induction training conditions. Cognitive reappraisal was assessed with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) prior to experimental induction, and state mindfulness was assessed immediately following induction using the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS). Participants practiced their assigned strategy for one week and then were reassessed with the ERQ reappraisal subscale. Participants receiving mindfulness training reported significantly higher levels of state mindfulness than participants in the thought suppression and mind wandering conditions. Although brief mindfulness training did not lead to significantly greater increases in reappraisal than the other two conditions, state mindfulness during mindfulness meditation was prospectively associated with increases in reappraisal. Path analysis revealed that the indirect effect between mindfulness training and reappraisal was significant through state mindfulness. Degree of state mindfulness achieved during the act of mindfulness meditation significantly predicted increases in reappraisal over time, suggesting that mindfulness may promote emotion regulation by enhancing cognitive reappraisal.

Mindfulness at work

“…The finding by the current study that reappraisal partially mediates the relation between mindfulness and engagement is in line with previous research showing that mindfulness predicts positive reappraisal (Garland et al, 2015) and that reappraisal predicts work engagement (Schulz, 2008, as cited in Binnewies & Fetzer, 2010. By adopting a meta-cognitive awareness in between mindfulness and work engagement.…”

“…Nevertheless, this explanation of the current findings is somewhat speculative and more research is needed to elucidate the specific processes of cognitive flexibility via which mindfulness is associated with work engagement. For example, do mindful individuals have the flexibility to remain engaged at work because of a greater ability to regulate their attention, or does that flexibility arise from a greater ability to regulate their emotions and thereby remain engaged when difficulties are encountered?The finding by the current study that reappraisal partially mediates the relation between mindfulness and engagement is in line with previous research showing that mindfulness predicts positive reappraisal (Garland et al, 2015) and that reappraisal predicts work engagement (Schulz, 2008, as cited in Binnewies & Fetzer, 2010. By adopting a meta-cognitive awareness in between mindfulness and work engagement.…”

“…Another study investigating the effects of undergoing an 8-week MBI found that increases in positive reappraisal mediated the stressreductive effects of increases in self-reported mindfulness that occurred during the intervention (Garland, Gaylord, & Fredrickson, 2011). Finally, a recent study also found that state mindfulness predicted the effect of a 1 week mindfulness-training task on cognitive reappraisal (Garland, Hanley, Farb, & Froeliger, 2015).Positive reappraisal in the workplace. By facilitating the emotion-regulation strategy of positive reappraisal, mindfulness is likely to have a number of salutary effects in the workplace.…”

Incorporación de la Orientación Contemplativa en la Práctica Educativa del Siglo XXI

“…Estudios en neurociencia señalan a la conciencia y el fortalecimiento de la atención, como aspectos esenciales para un adecuado manejo del mundo emocional (Damasio, 2000); considerando que la capacidad atencional puede ser entrenada; y su desarrollo permite acceder a un mayor control voluntario sobre los estados emocionales, lo que resulta -entre otras habilidades-en un desempeño social más equilibrado (González et al, 2011), y en el rendimiento cognitivo y logro académico (Chiesa, Calati, y Serretti, 2011;Garland et al, 2015;Brockman et al, 2017). Esta capacidad esencial para el desarrollo socioemocional ha sido validada por varios de los modelos de la inteligencia y competencia emocional, con gran impacto en la práctica educativa del presente siglo.…”

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Reducing Smoking among Addicts

“…Mindfulness involves special behavioral, cognitive and meta cognitive strategies to focus attention process which in turn leads to avoidance of negative thinking and mood causes, tendency to worrying responses and growing of new sight and formation of opinions and pleasant emotions (7). In other words, mindfulness means being in the present moment, without judgment, without commenting on what is happening; it means experience of sheer reality without explanation (7).…”