A brief decentering mindfulness induction to modulate the link between eating simulations and desire for attractive food – Does domain specificity matter?

Abstract

We investigated the question of domain specificity in brief decentering across two experiments. Specifically, we assessed the effect of brief decentering-based mindfulness instructions on reactivity to food cues, and whether these instructions are most effective when they specifically refer to experiences in a specific domain (e.g., food cravings), or when taught more generally. In Experiment 1, participants (N = 91, female = 71, predominantly without prior meditation experience) listened to general decentering, domain-specific decentering or relaxation (control) instructions. They then viewed a bowl of crisps (attractive food) and a rice cake (neutral food), in counterbalanced order. The main outcome measure was the amount of salivation to foods as a physiological measure of desire to eat. We also assessed self-reported desire, consumption simulations, and subjective decentering experiences. Results showed that participants salivated more to the attractive food compared to the neutral food. Salivation to the attractive food was comparable across the three study conditions. Exploratory analyses suggested a decoupling effect, where general decentering, but not domain-specific decentering reduced the association between consumption simulations and salivation to crisps compared to relaxation. We conducted Experiment 2 to replicate findings of Experiment 1 with a different active control condition. Participants (N = 118, female 88, predominantly without prior meditation experience) followed the same procedure as Experiment 1, except a ‘normal viewing’ control condition was used, and only crisps were shown as food stimulus. As with Experiment 1, salivation to the attractive food was comparable across the three conditions. However, the decoupling effect found in Experiment 1 was not replicated. Overall, these experiments provide preliminary yet insufficient evidence on how decentering affects the link between consumption simulations and desire, and whether domain specificity modulates this relationship. These questions are worth continued investigation for their relevance to theory and to the development of cost-effective interventions that are optimised for use in daily life.