Abstract
The ability to infer and understand the mental states of others (i.e., Theory of Mind) is a cornerstone of human interaction. While considerable efforts have focused on explicating when, why and for whom this fundamental psychological ability can go awry, considerably less is known about factors that may enhance theory of mind. Accordingly, the current study explored the possibility that mindfulness-based meditation may improve people's mindreading skills. Following a 5-minute mindfulness induction, participants with no prior meditation experience completed tests that assessed mindreading and empathic understanding. The results revealed that brief mindfulness meditation enhanced both mental state attribution and empathic concern, compared to participants in the control group. These findings suggest that mindfulness may be a powerful technique for facilitating core aspects of social-cognitive functioning.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e110510 |
| Journal | PLoS ONE |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 17 Oct 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Bibliographical note
LBGT was supported by an Australia Prime Minister’s Endeavour Asia Award. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.Cite this
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Brief mindfulness meditation improves mental state attribution and empathizing. / TAN, Lucy B. G.; LO, Barbara C.Y.; MACRAE, C. Neil.
In: PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, No. 10, e110510, 17.10.2014.Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Brief mindfulness meditation improves mental state attribution and empathizing
AU - TAN, Lucy B. G.
AU - LO, Barbara C.Y.
AU - MACRAE, C. Neil
N1 - LBGT was supported by an Australia Prime Minister’s Endeavour Asia Award. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 2014/10/17
Y1 - 2014/10/17
N2 - The ability to infer and understand the mental states of others (i.e., Theory of Mind) is a cornerstone of human interaction. While considerable efforts have focused on explicating when, why and for whom this fundamental psychological ability can go awry, considerably less is known about factors that may enhance theory of mind. Accordingly, the current study explored the possibility that mindfulness-based meditation may improve people's mindreading skills. Following a 5-minute mindfulness induction, participants with no prior meditation experience completed tests that assessed mindreading and empathic understanding. The results revealed that brief mindfulness meditation enhanced both mental state attribution and empathic concern, compared to participants in the control group. These findings suggest that mindfulness may be a powerful technique for facilitating core aspects of social-cognitive functioning.
AB - The ability to infer and understand the mental states of others (i.e., Theory of Mind) is a cornerstone of human interaction. While considerable efforts have focused on explicating when, why and for whom this fundamental psychological ability can go awry, considerably less is known about factors that may enhance theory of mind. Accordingly, the current study explored the possibility that mindfulness-based meditation may improve people's mindreading skills. Following a 5-minute mindfulness induction, participants with no prior meditation experience completed tests that assessed mindreading and empathic understanding. The results revealed that brief mindfulness meditation enhanced both mental state attribution and empathic concern, compared to participants in the control group. These findings suggest that mindfulness may be a powerful technique for facilitating core aspects of social-cognitive functioning.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84908141368&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://commons.ln.edu.hk/sw_master/7530
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0110510
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0110510
M3 - Journal Article (refereed)
VL - 9
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 10
M1 - e110510
ER -