Mindfulness as a self-regulatory act: Exploring the relationship of mindfulness to ego depletion

The practice of mindfulness is described as having self-regulatory features according to clinical and research literature. The potential influence of mindfulness on ego depletion, a model of self-regulation wherein self-regulation is considered to depend on a limited resource, is discussed as a possible avenue for deeper understanding and manipulation of both mindfulness and ego depletion. Two studies are described examining this possibility: in each, mindfulness is proposed to reduce susceptibility to ego depletion. The first study (n = 59) tested participants' ability to sustain their grip on a handgrip exerciser following a stressor (a tedious writing task) and the degree to which individual differences in mindfulness, as measured by the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer, et al., 2006), moderated this ability. The second study (n = 65) retained the experiment design, but replaced the writing task with a speaking/presentation task. Results from neither study supported the hypotheses. Interpretations of the results are discussed.