What is important to get good results from research that some people become self-centered and intolerant by mindfulness meditation?

Mindfulness, which means 'just watch the experience of this moment intentionally, without evaluation, without being bound,' has been incorporated into Google's training. It is attracting a great deal of attention because it has the effects of 'acquiring a generous spirit' and 'enhancing cooperation.' On the other hand, there are also negative opinions such as 'mindfulness has the effect of lowering work motivation.' Meanwhile, Michael Paulin, a researcher in social psychology at the University of Buffalo, argues that 'mindfulness has different effects depending on the way of thinking of the practitioner, and depending on the way of thinking, it may have the opposite effect.'

Mindfulness meditation can make some Americans more selfish and less generous
https://theconversation.com/mindfulness-meditation-can-make-some-americans-more-selfish-and-less-generous-160687

PsyArXiv Preprints | Minding your own business? Mindfulness decreases prosocial behavior for those with independent self-construals
https://psyarxiv.com/xhyua

According to Pauline, mindfulness has exploded in the United States over the past few years, creating numerous meditation studios and meditation apps. Mindfulness-related market value in the United States will reach $ 1.2 billion in 2019, and the market value is expected to exceed $ 2 billion by 2022.

Mindfulness is also used in a wide range of settings, including schools, medical settings and prisons, with one in five American employers providing mindfulness-related services to their employees. Pauline says is 'mindfulness and reduce stress, increase self-esteem, it is possible to alleviate the symptoms of mental illness,' study results as an example, teachers and employers to introduce a 'mindfulness He points out that he expects mindfulness to have the desired effect on students and employees to 'make people more generous and supportive.'

However, Paulin noted that mindfulness was born in Asia, a culture that is very different from that of the United States. People in Asia apply themselves to a collective framework and think 'what we want' and 'who we are'. Types of water Just as different people change the taste of food, different ways of thinking can affect the effectiveness of mindfulness. ' He added, 'Even those who belong to the same culture have different ways of thinking,' he said, indicating that even among Americans, the effects of mindfulness will be different.

In order to clarify the difference in the effect of mindfulness due to the above difference in thinking, Mr. Paulin conducted a personality diagnosis on 366 students and said that 'a group that applies itself to a collective framework'. We divided them into 'groups that fit themselves into a personal framework' and compared the amount of donations to philanthropy after having each group practice mindfulness or other activities. As a result, in the 'group that applies itself to a collective framework', the amount of donations of those who practiced mindfulness increased by 17% compared to those who did not, and 'made themselves into a personal framework'. In the 'Applying Group', it was found that the donations of those who practiced mindfulness were reduced by 15% compared to those who did not.

'For those who fit themselves into a personal framework, mindfulness drives them to focus on their individual goals and desires and makes them selfish,' Paulin said. He states and insists on changes in the effects of mindfulness due to differences in thinking.

Also, according to Paulin, there are many words such as 'I am (I)' and 'I am (me)' when people apply themselves to 'individual framework' or 'collective framework'. It is possible to change by simply executing a simple task called 'reading sentences including' task A or 'reading sentences containing many words such as' we are (we) 'and' us (us) '' task B. thing. As a result of conducting an experiment asking whether to participate in the 'volunteer activity to call for donations of charity' after actually performing either of the above tasks, the participation rate of volunteers in the group that performed task A was high. Volunteer participation increased by 40% in the group that performed Task B, down 33%. From this result, Paulin speculates that 'just a temporary change in thinking will change the effect of mindfulness.'

Finally, Pauline said, 'Mindfulness can have a positive effect and it can have a negative effect. If you want to practice mindfulness and have a positive effect, apply yourself to a collective framework. You should be aware of that. '