Making concrete construals mindful: A novel approach for developing mindfulness and self-compassion to assist weight loss

Abstract

Research on the usefulness of mindfulness and self-compassion for dieting has focused on meditative practices. However, meditation can be difficult to maintain, especially while dieting. Thus, the present research attempted to induce mindfulness and self-compassion by using food diaries that required the participant to either focus on concrete (i.e. how they are eating) construals or abstract (i.e. why they are eating) construals. The concrete construals were expected to increase mindfulness and self-compassion, as well as decrease avoidance and negative thoughts (which would further aid the development of mindfulness and self-compassion). Study 1 found that mindfulness and self-compassion mediated the inverse relationship of avoidance and negative thoughts with weight loss. Study 2 showed that concrete construal diaries increased mindfulness and self-compassion, decreased avoidance and negative thoughts, and supported weight loss significantly more than the abstract construal diaries. Study 3, then, compared the concrete construal diaries with a mindful self-compassionate meditation programme. There was no difference in weight loss at the end of the intervention, but at a three-month follow-up, the diaries performed better at weight maintenance. Thus, the concrete construal diaries may promote mindfulness and self-compassion and potentially promote long-term weight loss.

All you can eat Buffets, obesity, mindfulness, and mindful eating: An exploratory investigation

“…(p. 142). Furthermore, the items reflecting mindful awareness within the scale are similar to questions used in a recent intervention that proved to be successful for weight loss [13]. Future research should explore these findings further with better physiological measurements, and more specific measurements of consumption.…”

“…A negative relationship was found between mindfulness and BMI in a recent population study with French adults (N=63.628) [8]. Furthermore, people who eat more mindfully, or participate in mindfulness meditation programmes have been found to improve the way they eat and successfully eat less [9][10][11][12][13][14]. However, Mantzios and Wilson [13] suggested that the combination of mindfulness and self-compassion might be more beneficial than mindfulness alone, and this was subsequently evidenced in other studies [15].…”

“…In an experimental study with restrictive eaters, Adams and Leary [20] used a short self-compassionate intervention with people who had broken their diet and found that this prolonged increase in food intake did not occur. Furthermore, recent research indicates that self-compassion plays a significant role across many aspects of weight regulation, in maintaining weight [18], in weight loss [15], and with different mindful practices (i.e., diaries instead of meditation) [13]. Other research suggests that selfcompassion may also provide positive outcomes in disordered eating.…”

Sustainable consumption and marketing

“…Social marketing typically faces the challenge of promoting concrete behaviour that corresponds to abstract goals that are socially desirable (Rothschild, 1979) in a context where socially undesirable behaviour comes naturally. The majority of research in social marketing focuses on raising the construal level of actual choices by awareness and self-control in order to decrease the influence of low construal incentives or 'guilty pleasures' (Amel et al, 2009;Fujita, 2011;Fujita & Roberts, 2010;Mantzios & Wilson, 2014;Wieber, Sezer, & Gollwitzer, 2014). Awareness raises the relevance, but not necessarily the determinance of distal goals or goal congruent attributes.…”

“…In line with this approach cognitive interventions aim at inducing abstraction and mindfulness to raise the construal level of the proximal choice and thus enhance the motivation for distal-goal-congruent behaviour, or to raise the self-control to resist goal-incongruent temptations (Amel, Manning, & Scott, 2009;Fujita & Roberts, 2010;Jenkins & Tapper, 2014;Mantzios & Wilson, 2014). A major drawback of these cognitive interventions is that they require effort and energy of the actor that are subject to depletion (Agrawal & Wan, 2009;Gino, Schweitzer, Mead, & Ariely, 2011;Imhoff, Schmidt, & Gerstenberg, 2015;Muraven & Baumeister, 2000).…”