Mindful-gratitude practices reduce prejudice, studies find

Recent research in Poland found that a six-week mobile app-supported training in mindful-gratitude practice decreased prejudice (anti-Semitism, sexism, homophobia, anti-immigrant sentiments) and its link with collective narcissism. A single 10-minute session of mindful-gratitude practice did not produce this effect. The research was published in Psychological Science.

Collective narcissism is a form of narcissism in which individuals hold an inflated belief in the superiority and exceptionalism of their own social group, whether defined by nationality, ethnicity, religion, or another shared identity. They also believe that the greatness of their group is insufficiently recognized by others. Unlike personal narcissism, which focuses on individual self-importance, collective narcissism centers on group identity and seeks validation and admiration from outsiders for the group as a whole.

This exaggerated sense of group importance, characteristic of collective narcissism, tends to lead to hypersensitivity to perceived threats or criticism against the group. In this way, it fuels defensive and antagonistic behaviors. Studies have found a strong link between collective narcissism and prejudice. In other words, people with high levels of collective narcissism are more likely to display hostility, distrust, and prejudice toward other groups, particularly those they perceive as challenging or undermining their own group.

Study author Agnieszka Golec de Zavala sought to explore whether mindful-gratitude practice can reduce prejudice, particularly in individuals with high levels of collective narcissism. Mindful-gratitude practices involve intentionally focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life in the present moment, enhancing emotional well-being and fostering a greater sense of contentment and resilience. The research team conducted two studies.

Study 1 was a pilot experiment in which the researchers compared the effects of mindful-gratitude practice and mindful-attention practice on reducing prejudice, using a control condition for comparison. The study included 569 Polish adults, aged 18 to 76 years, of whom 313 were women.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: mindful-attention practice (10 minutes of directing attention to physical sensations in the body, moving gradually from feet to head), mindful-gratitude practice (similar to mindful-attention but with the additional instruction to express gratitude towards each body part), or a control condition where participants listened to a description of human anatomy from a high school textbook. After the procedure, participants completed assessments of collective narcissism (using the five-item Collective Narcissism Scale) and anti-Semitism (five items previously used in research). Before starting the study, participants also completed assessments of collective narcissism, individual narcissism, in-group identification, and trait mindfulness.

Study 2 included 219 Polish adults recruited via social media and university mailing lists. The participants’ average age was 27 years, ranging from 18 to 62, and 168 were women. At the start of the study, participants provided demographic information, reported their experience with mindfulness and meditation, and completed assessments of collective narcissism, sexism (using the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory), homophobia (three items), anti-immigrant sentiment toward Ukrainians (e.g., “Poland should increase help to Ukrainian immigrants”), and intergroup threat (e.g., “Ukrainian immigrants violate trust”).

Participants were then divided into three groups and instructed to install a mobile app to deliver the intervention. The mindful-gratitude group was instructed to use the app for daily practice over six weeks, dedicating 30 minutes each morning in a quiet, undisturbed space. The second group practiced mindful-attention, while the third group served as a waitlist control group and did not receive any intervention.

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Results from the first study showed that neither mindful-gratitude nor mindful-attention practices reduced anti-Semitism across participants. However, mindful-gratitude practice did weaken the association between collective narcissism and anti-Semitism.

Results from the second study demonstrated that mindful-gratitude practice significantly reduced prejudice (all assessed forms collectively) after six weeks of training. Additionally, while the link between collective narcissism and prejudice was positive or near zero in the control group, it became negative in the group that practiced mindful-gratitude.

“Prejudice does not appear to subside and may increase. A timely issue is how to reduce it among individuals who are highly prejudiced. We found a way: through mobile-app supported mindful-gratitude practice. In two studies, this practice attenuated prejudice (anti-Semitism, sexism, homophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment) among collective narcissists,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the effects of mindful-gratitude practice on prejudice. However, it is worth noting that participants in the second study were volunteers who self-selected for a mindfulness intervention. It remains to be seen whether similar results would occur among individuals less inclined to engage in such an intervention.

The paper, “Mindful-Gratitude Practice Reduces Prejudice at High Levels of Collective Narcissism,” was authored by Agnieszka Golec de Zavala, Oliver Keenan, Matthias Ziegler, Magdalena Mazurkiewicz, Maria Nalberczak-Skóra, Pawel Ciesielski, Julia E. Wahl, and Constantine Sedikides.