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Mindful individuals less affected by immediate rewards

Date:
November 1, 2013
Source:
University of Toronto
Summary:
A new study shows that people who are aware of their own thoughts and emotions are less affected by positive feedback from others.
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A new study from the University of Toronto Scarborough shows that people who are aware of and their own thoughts and emotions are less affected by positive feedback from others.

The study, authored by UTSC PhD candidate Rimma Teper, finds that individuals high in trait mindfulness show less neural response to positive feedback than their less mindful peers.

"These findings suggest that mindful individuals may be less affected by immediate rewards and fits well with the idea that mindful individuals are typically less impulsive" says Teper.

Trait mindfulness is characterized by an ability to recognize and accept one's thoughts and emotions without judgment. Mindful individuals are much better at letting their feelings and thoughts go rather than getting carried away.

Using electroencephalography (EEG) the brain activity of participants was recorded while they completed a reaction time task on a computer. The authors were interested in participants' brain activity in response to receiving performance feedback that was rewarding, neutral or negative in nature. Not only were mindful individuals less responsive to rewarding feedback compared to others, they also showed less difference in their neural response to neutral versus rewarding feedback.

The findings also reflect further clinical research that supports the notion of accepting one's emotions is an important indicator of mental well-being.

"Individuals who are problem gamblers for instance show more brain reactivity to immediate rewards, because they are typically more impulsive," says Teper.

"Many studies, including our own past work, have shown that people who meditate, and mindful individuals exhibit improved self-control. If mindful individuals are also less affected by immediate rewards, as our study suggests, this may help explain why," says Teper's PhD supervisor and UTSC psychology professor Michael Inzlicht.

The research was published this week in the journal Emotion.


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Toronto. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Rimma Teper, Michael Inzlicht. Mindful Acceptance Dampens Neuroaffective Reactions to External and Rewarding Performance Feedback.. Emotion, 2013; DOI: 10.1037/a0034296

Cite This Page:

University of Toronto. "Mindful individuals less affected by immediate rewards." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 November 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131101172404.htm>.
University of Toronto. (2013, November 1). Mindful individuals less affected by immediate rewards. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131101172404.htm
University of Toronto. "Mindful individuals less affected by immediate rewards." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131101172404.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

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