The observing self: Diminishing egocentrism through brief mindfulness meditation

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Golubickis, Marius;Tan, Lucy B.G.;Falben, Johanna K.;Macrae, C.Neil
Abstract

Reflecting the egocentrism that permeates contemporary society, people often believe they stand out in the eyes of others (i.e., the spotlight effect), a conviction that is entirely misplaced. Although considerable efforts have focused on elucidating the consequences of the spotlight effect, much less is known about factors that may attenuate this illusory perception. Accordingly, the current study explored the possibility that, via shifts in perspectives on the self (i.e., first person vs. third person), brief mindfulness-based meditation may reduce a future-oriented variant of this bias. The results revealed that, compared with responses in the control conditions (i.e., control meditation or no mediation), brief mindfulness-based meditation fostered the adoption of a third-person vantage point during mental imagery and diminished perceptions of personal salience.

Journal

European Journal of Social Psychology

Publication Name

European Journal of Social Psychology

Volume

46

ISBN/ISSN

1099-0992

Edition

N/A

Issue

4

Pages Count

7

Location

N/A

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

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Publish Date

N/A

Url

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Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1002/ejsp.2186