NOVEL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING MINDFULNESS MEDITATIONS AND THEIR BENEFITS TO WELL-BEING DURING COVID-19: AN EXPERIENCE-SAMPLING STUDY

Abstract

Mindfulness Meditations (MMs), such as Focused-Attention Meditation (FA) and Open-Monitoring Meditation (OM), may improve emotional and social well-being during the pandemic. Previously, the enhanced ability to observe present-moment experiences (OBS) as cultivated by FA increased positive emotions (PE). OBS while maintaining a non-reactive attitude (NR), as cultivated by OM, increased PE and reduced negative emotions (NE) respectively. Still, researchers have yet to explore (a) if OBS reduces NE, (b) if NR improves PE, (c) if both improve social connectedness (SC), (d) the duration to nurture either facet. Using a randomized-controlled, daily diary design, the present study explored if daily MMs (FA and OM) during the pandemic would influence PE, NE, SC, and if so, which improvements would be mediated by OBS and NR. The study also hypothesized that NR develops more gradually than OBS. Multilevel mediation analyses revealed that during intervention and during post-intervention, OBS fully mediated the relationship between MM-induced changes in PE and SC, but not NE. During post-intervention only, NR partially mediated the relationship between OM-induced changes in NE but fully mediated OM-induced changes in PE and SC. These findings document larger benefits than previously believed from consistent daily practices of MMs (especially OM) during COVID-19.