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Mindfulness training selectively reduces altruistic behaviour in low-cost situations.

International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie
June 1, 2023
Tian Xie et al. (5 authors)
Randomized Controlled TrialJournal ArticleHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to examine the effect of mindfulness training (MT) on altruistic willingness in high- and low-cost situations.

Results Summary

The MT group showed increased mindfulness levels but reduced willingness to help in low-cost situations. A positive correlation was found between increased observing facet scores and willingness to help in high-cost situations.

Population

41 females

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

8 weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme
increase
overall FFMQ scores
MT group
-
presented a significant increase
#1
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme
increase
level of mindfulness
people
-
enhanced
#2
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme
decrease
willingness to help in the low-cost situation
people
-
reduced
#3
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme
increase
willingness to help in the high-cost situation
MT group
-
positive correlation between the increase in the scores of the observing facet and willingness to help
#4
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme
decrease
change in empathy in the low-cost situation
-
-
negative predictor
#5
Abstract

There have been rich debates about whether and how mindfulness alters prosocial behaviour. Nevertheless, few empirical studies have touched on how mindfulness training (MT) influences altruistic behaviour under high- and low-cost situations in a real-life scenario. The present study aimed to examine the effect of mindfulness training on altruistic willingness at different cost levels. A total of 41 females participated in our study and were randomly assigned to the MT and control groups. They completed the empathy-altruism task and Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) before and after an 8-week experimental intervention, during which the MT group attended the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme, while the control group remained as usual. The MT group presented a significant increase in overall FFMQ scores after the 8 weeks of MBCT. However, their willingness to help declined in the low-cost situation at post-test. Further analysis revealed a positive correlation between the increase in the scores of the observing facet and willingness to help in the high-cost situation in the MT group. The changes in describing facet were a negative predictor of the change in empathy in the low-cost situation. Taken together, 8-week MBCT enhanced the level of mindfulness but reduced people's willingness to help in the low-cost situation.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
FemaleHumansMindfulnessAltruismCognitive Behavioral TherapySurveys and QuestionnairesEmpathyTreatment Outcome
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy65/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations2
Citations/Year1.0
Relative Citation Ratio0.84
NIH Percentile44%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score2.43
Normalized Score0.61
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