Mindful people less affected by immediate rewards

Washington – A new study has showed that people aware of their own thoughts and emotions are less affected by others’ positive feedback.

University of Toronto Scarborough PhD candidate Rimma Teper said that the study 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.

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.

The research was published this week in the journal Emotion.