Debiasing the Mind Through Meditation

Abstract

In the research reported here, we investigated the debiasing effect of mindfulness meditation on the sunk-cost bias. We conducted four studies (one correlational and three experimental); the results suggest that increased mindfulness reduces the tendency to allow unrecoverable prior costs to influence current decisions. Study 1 served as an initial correlational demonstration of the positive relationship between trait mindfulness and resistance to the sunk-cost bias. Studies 2a and 2b were laboratory experiments examining the effect of a mindfulness-meditation induction on increased resistance to the sunk-cost bias. In Study 3, we examined the mediating mechanisms of temporal focus and negative affect, and we found that the sunk-cost bias was attenuated by drawing one's temporal focus away from the future and past and by reducing state negative affect, both of which were accomplished through mindfulness meditation.

Does brief mindfulness training increase empathy? The role of personality

“…Commonly employed mindfulness inductions normally require training from a qualified meditation instructor, coupled with daily practice over many weeks (Hafenbrack, Kinias, & Barsade, 2014). This results in high dropout rates and non-compliance, making their widespread use impractical.…”

“…This results in high dropout rates and non-compliance, making their widespread use impractical. A shorter mindfulness induction developed by Hafenbrack et al (2014) may offer a viable alternative. It consists of a single, 15 min, guided meditation audio recording, suitable for complete beginners, making it relatively undemanding with regard to both administration and use.…”

“…The mindfulness induction consists of listening to a 15 minute audio recording developed by Hafenbrack et al (2014), featuring a guided mindfulness meditation suitable for those with no previous experience in meditation.…”

“…As with the mindfulness induction, the mind wandering induction was developed by Hafenbrack et al (2014), and consists of listening to an audio recording of the same duration and utilising the same voice as in the experimental condition. However, unlike the experimental condition, the control condition repeatedly asks participants to follow their own thoughts (known as mind wandering).…”

“…The manipulation check developed by Hafenbrack et al (2014) aims to capture the extent to which participants were focused on their breathing (by providing a gauge for how well participants followed the mindfulness induction instructions), and were absorbed in the present moment (one of the key traits of a mindful state). The manipulation check consists of four items, with answers recorded on a 5-point Likert scale.…”