Thinking mindfully: How mindfulness relates to rumination and reflection in daily life
Elisabeth S Blanke1, Mirjam J Schmidt1, Michaela Riediger1
1Department of Psychology.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|August 16, 2019
Summary
Mindfulness, particularly nonjudgmental acceptance, buffers negative emotions by reducing rumination. Present-moment attention promotes reflection, with both facets influencing emotional well-being in daily life.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Affective Science
- Emotion Regulation
Background:
- Mindfulness involves present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance.
- It is linked to emotional well-being and adaptive emotion regulation.
- The within-person impact of mindfulness on emotion regulation needs further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between mindfulness facets and emotion regulation strategies.
- To investigate how mindfulness influences the link between emotion regulation and affect.
- To explore the adaptive and maladaptive effects of mindfulness on emotional experiences.
Main Methods:
- Two experience-sampling (ESM) studies were conducted.
- Study 1 involved 70 students; Study 2 involved 179 middle-aged adults.
- Participants reported on mindfulness, rumination, reflection, and affect in daily life.
Main Results:
- Nonjudgmental acceptance correlated with less rumination; present-moment attention correlated with more reflection.
- Mindfulness facets moderated the impact of rumination on affect, reducing negative affect increases.
- Higher nonjudgmental acceptance diminished the association between reflection and affect changes.
Conclusions:
- Emotion regulation strategies' adaptiveness depends on mindfulness levels.
- Mindfulness appears to inhibit maladaptive emotion regulation and its negative effects on well-being.
- Findings support mindfulness's role in promoting emotional health through emotion regulation.
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