Mindfulness Makes People Less Swayed By Immediate Rewards

Amy Taylor November 06, 2013

Researchers from the University of Toronto Scarborough have found that people who are aware of their thoughts and emotions are less likely to be affected by positive feedback from others.

Mindfulness is well-touted for its amazing health benefits which range from promoting relaxation to improving mood and well-being and boosting the immune system.

According to Rimma Teper, a PhD student who authored the new study, their findings suggest that mindful individuals ‘may be less affected by immediate rewards and fits well with the idea that mindful individuals are typically less impulsive’. Trait mindfulness is characterised by the ability to recognise and accept one’s thoughts and emotions without judgement. People with this trait are much better at letting their feelings and thoughts go rather than getting carried away.

Using the electroencephalography (EEG) technology, the researchers tracked the brain activities of the study participants as they perform a reaction time task on a computer. They were interested in the subjects’ brain activity in response to receiving performance feedback that was rewarding, neutral or negative in nature.

Based on the results, not only do the participants showed less responsive to rewarding feedback compared to others, they also showed less difference between the neural response to neutral versus rewarding feedback.

"Many studies, including our own past work, have shown that people who meditate, and mindful individuals exhibit improved self-control. If mindful individuals are also less affected by immediate rewards, as our study suggests, this may help explain why," explained Michael Inzlicht, psychology professor and Teper’s advisor.

These findings support the earlier study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology which found that mindfulness had benefits for self control. In this specific study, participants who practised mindfulness had greater ability to resist sweets. Meanwhile, research by the University of Utah found a link between mindfulness and greater emotional stability and self-control over emotions.

The current study was published in the journal Emotion.

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Mindfulness Could Make You Less Swayed By Immediate Rewards