Mindfulness and mind-wandering: finding convergence through opposing constructs.
Research into both mindfulness and mind-wandering has grown rapidly, yet clarification of the relationship between these two seemingly opposing constructs is still absent. A first study addresses the relationship between a dispositional measure of mindfulness (Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale, MAAS) and converging measures of both self-reported and indirect markers of mind-wandering. Negative correlations between dispositional mindfulness and 4 measures of mind-wandering confirm the opposing relationship between the 2 constructs and further validate the use of the MAAS as a dispositional measure of mindfulness. A second study demonstrated that 8 minutes of mindful breathing reduces behavioral indicators of mind-wandering during a Sustained Attention to Response Task compared with both passive relaxation and reading. Together these studies clarify the opposition between the constructs of mindfulness and mind-wandering and so should lead to greater convergence between what have been predominately separate, yet mutually relevant, lines of research.
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California.
Michael D
MD
Mrazek
Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
Jonathan
0000-0002-7298-2459
J
Smallwood
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California.
Jonathan W
JW
Schooler
D000339:Affect; D001288:Attention; D001364:Awareness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult