Citation

Mrazek MD, Smallwood J, Schooler JW. Emotion 2012; 12(3): 442-448.

Affiliation

Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. mrazek@psych.ucsb.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0026678

PMID

22309719

Abstract

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.

Language: en