Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Meditation

Mindfulness exercises can reduce procrastination, study finds

by Beth Ellwood
April 2, 2020
in Meditation
(Photo credit: Sergey Nivens)

(Photo credit: Sergey Nivens)

[Subscribe to PsyPost on YouTube to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Mindfulness training can reduce intention to procrastinate on a task one would normally avoid, according to a recent study published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology.

Procrastination is characterized by the delaying of a task for a dysfunctional amount of time. Research has shown that the practice is relatively common in adults and can be especially harmful for university students. It’s a habit that can lead to unfavorable outcomes like stress, poor performance, anxiety, and depression.

Previous studies have suggested that greater mindfulness is linked to less procrastination. One explanation may be that mindfulness leads to certain cognitive benefits like heightened awareness and ability to sustain attention. These abilities decrease a person’s chance of exhibiting low self-control, possibly protecting against procrastination.

The new study is the first to look at mindfulness as an intervention strategy for helping people who tend to procrastinate. Researchers aimed to see whether practicing a mindfulness exercise would be associated with greater intention to follow through on a task one would usually procrastinate. They also wanted to see whether the ability to sustain attention would explain at least some of the link between mindfulness and procrastination.

Researchers asked 170 university students to think of a task they hoped to complete in the next month, for example, paint their house. They were specifically asked to choose a task they thought they might put off completing. Each participant completed measures of trait mindfulness (using Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory), attention (using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1 Symptoms Checklist) and procrastination (using Lay’s General Procrastination Scale).

Students were then separated into two groups and assigned either a 3-minute mindfulness exercise or a control exercise where they were asked to reflect on what they did the previous day. Immediately after the assigned exercise, participants were asked to rate their level of engagement with the exercise and then rate their intention to work on the task they had said they wanted to complete (ex: paint house). They rated their agreement with statements like, ‘I will wait to start working towards this task’ and ‘I will start working towards this task today’.

Results showed that the students who took part in the mindfulness exercise displayed more intention to work on their desired task than did those who completed the control exercise. Interestingly, these results were only significant when engagement with the exercise was held constant. It seems that the degree to which participants were engaged with the training affected whether or not it would lower procrastination.

An analysis of the data showed, unsurprisingly, that trait mindfulness was associated with less tendency to procrastinate.  What was new, mediation analysis showed that attention skills might explain this relationship between mindfulness and procrastination. A possible conclusion might be that mindfulness promotes sustained attention which then leads to less procrastination.

Since the study looked at brief, 3-minute mindfulness exercises, it would be of interest for future research to study the effects of more in-depth mindfulness training. The authors explain, “Such research might help determine the optimal length and format of mindfulness interventions intended to assist those who procrastinate and might explore approaches to increasing engagement with mindfulness exercises, possibly through innovative technologies, such as use of virtual reality.”

The study, “Greater Mindfulness is Linked to Less Procrastination”, was authored by Nicola S. Schutte & Andrea del Pozo de Bolger.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePin7Send

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Greedy people have more money but are less satisfied with their lives, according to new study

Young men rate their IQ as higher compared to age-matched women, but the reverse is true for older adults

Virtual reality can inoculate people against the allure of alternative romantic partners, study finds

Study finds harsh maternal discipline can leave daughters vulnerable to anxiety and depression

Listening in silence to someone with depression might increase their social anxiety, study suggests

RECENT

Those with dark personalities are more vulnerable to developing homonegative and transnegative views

Young men rate their IQ as higher compared to age-matched women, but the reverse is true for older adults

Social anxiety predicts body dysmorphic symptoms via appearance rejection sensitivity

Greedy people have more money but are less satisfied with their lives, according to new study

New research highlights the misinformation about misinformation research

People exposed to phubbing by their romantic partner are less satisfied with their romantic relationship

Psilocybin might help reduce rumination and suppressive thoughts in depressed patients

Study finds harsh maternal discipline can leave daughters vulnerable to anxiety and depression

Currently Playing

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Paranormal beliefs are associated with worse sleep, study finds

Mental Health
Large-scale cross-cultural study provides insights into mating performance and singlehood

Large-scale cross-cultural study provides insights into mating performance and singlehood

Evolutionary Psychology
Disclosing victim status reduces online dating matches regardless of race or sex

Individuals with dark personality traits are less oriented towards long-term mating strategies

Dark Triad
Longitudinal study examines the effects of adversity on wise reasoning

New study examines the psychological mechanisms underlying Solomon’s paradox

Social Psychology
Engaging in religious practice, even if you don’t believe, may increase your capacity to delay gratification

Engaging in religious practice, even if you don’t believe, may increase your capacity to delay gratification

Cognitive Science
New study sheds light on how three distinct types of first impressions predict subsequent dating outcomes

New study sheds light on how three distinct types of first impressions predict subsequent dating outcomes

Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.