Brief mindfulness meditation improves mental state attribution and empathizing

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.

Figure 1. Examples of empathic letters written by participants in the mindfulness condition.

These participants expressed more empathic concern, warmth and support in their letters towards Ann (who was socially excluded in the game).

Figure 2. Examples of letters written by participants in the control condition.

These participants approached the letter writing task in a ‘matter of fact’ manner; focusing on the facts or rules of the game.