| Aristotle, Shakespeare, Gandhi, and others suggested a life well lived involves living according to one's values, yet there is little empirical research on the role value-behavior concordance (VBC) plays in adolescent thriving, specifically meaning and life satisfaction. Mindfulness---receptive attention to present-moment experience---may foster VBC via heightened awareness of one's values and behaviors. Study 1 employed data from 5877 adolescents from 7 countries (Australia, Canada, India, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States) and used multigroup structural equation modeling to examine the measurement invariance of the constructs and structural invariance of hypothesized associations across countries. In all 7 countries, older adolescents were slightly more mindful, and mindful adolescents reported greater VBC. Further, in 6 of the 7 countries, the link between mindfulness and meaning operated in part through VBC. These findings suggest relatively generalizable processes in which mindfulness develops as adolescents age, and mindful youth experience greater meaning because they live in ways that express their values. Given that different values have divergent links with well-being, Study 2 collected self- and parent-report data online from 299 families from the United States to test if intrinsic VBC (e.g., benevolence-caring) and extrinsic VBC (e.g., power-dominance) were differentially linked to mindfulness, meaning, and life satisfaction. Study 2 also further probed the link between age and mindfulness by testing whether attachment security plays a moderating role. Results indicated that mindfulness was positively linked to both meaning and life satisfaction, and intrinsic and extrinsic VBC partially mediated the link from mindfulness to meaning but not life satisfaction. Specifically, mindfulness was positively linked to VBC for intrinsic values, which in turn was (surprisingly) negatively linked to meaning. On the other hand, mindfulness was negatively linked to VBC for extrinsic values, which in turn was negatively linked to meaning. Regarding age, there was no association with mindfulness, nor did attachment security moderate this link. These findings suggest that mindful adolescents experience greater meaning because they avoid acting on extrinsic values, yet mindful youth also experience slightly less meaning to the degree that their mindfulness fosters VBC for intrinsic values. This complex pattern may reflect incomplete integration of intrinsic and extrinsic values into identity during adolescence. Given cultural differences in behavioral opportunities and values, cross-cultural research (and research on diverse groups within the United States) is needed to examine the extent to which the Study 2 findings generalize to other groups. As a growing body of research indicates that adolescents can cultivate mindfulness through meditation, mindfulness may be a trainable skill that promotes positive plasticity by helping young people become the kinds of people they aspire to be. |
