Mindfulness, mood, and food: The mediating role of positive affect

With rates of overweight and obesity rising worldwide, it is important to examine psychological factors associated with food intake. Previous research has shown that mindfulness may serve as a protective factor against overconsumption of food. Some studies have posited that mindfulness addresses unhealthy eating by promoting the increased awareness of, and decreased responsiveness to, internal emotional cues. The present study investigated the effects of a brief mindfulness induction on positive and negative affect and subsequent energy intake in a sample of undergraduate students (N = 126). After exposure to a negative mood induction, 63 participants were randomly assigned to a brief mindfulness intervention, while the remaining participants listened to a news article. Subsequently all participants were offered healthful and unhealthful snack foods. Although there was not a significant between-group difference in intake, a multiple mediation model indicated that positive affect, but not negative affect, significantly mediated the association between condition and food intake. Relative to controls, those in the experimental condition reported higher positive affect after the mindfulness induction, which in turn reduced their energy intake. Further exploratory analyses indicated that positive affect in the experimental group was associated with reduced consumption of unhealthful food. These findings provide insight into how mindfulness-based interventions may target unhealthy eating behaviors.