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Moving Beyond Mindfulness: Defining Equanimity as an Outcome Measure in Meditation and Contemplative Research
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Abstract
In light of a growing interest in contemplative practices such as meditation, the emerging field of contemplative science has been challenged to describe and objectively measure how these practices affect health and well-being. While “mindfulness” itself has been proposed as a measurable outcome of contemplative practices, this concept encompasses multiple components, some of which, as we review here, may be better characterized as equanimity. Equanimity can be defined as an even-minded mental state or dispositional tendency toward all experiences or objects, regardless of their origin or their affective valence (pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral). In this article, we propose that equanimity be used as an outcome measure in contemplative research. We first define and discuss the inter-relationship between mindfulness and equanimity from the perspectives of both classical Buddhism and modern psychology and present existing meditation techniques for cultivating equanimity. We then review psychological, physiological, and neuroimaging methods that have been used to assess equanimity either directly or indirectly. In conclusion, we propose that equanimity captures potentially the most important psychological element in the improvement of well-being, and therefore should be a focus in future research studies.
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“However, equanimity items captured present focus, acceptance and an optimistic approach, all of which represent either part or peripheral aspects of equanimity and do not capture its entirety, missing the central concept of non-reactivity which is proposed by Hadash et al. (2016) and others (Cayoun 2011; Desbordes et al. 2015; Hart 1987).”
From Development and Validation of the Equanimity Scale-16 (2021) · cites this paper as Desbordes et al. 2015
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“Paying attention mindfully is proposed to facilitate disengagement from an emotion-provoking stimulus by attenuating the peak amplitude and speeding up recovery, thereby decreasing the overall emotional response [9].”
From Self-Reported Trait Mindfulness and Affective Reactivity: A Motivational Approach Using Multiple Psychophysiological Measures (2015) · cites this paper as [9]
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“equanimity is suggested to be an important mechanism in these interventions (Cayoun 2011; Desbordes et al. 2015).”
From Development and Validation of the Equanimity Scale-16 (2021) · cites this paper as Desbordes et al. 2015
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“The two factors identified in the present study are also consistent with existing conceptualizations of equanimity (Desbordes et al. 2015; Hadash et al. 2016; Hart 1987).”
From Development and Validation of the Equanimity Scale-16 (2021) · cites this paper as Desbordes et al. 2015
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“Thus, mindfulness is thought to facilitate the development of dispositional nonreactivity [9].”
From Self-Reported Trait Mindfulness and Affective Reactivity: A Motivational Approach Using Multiple Psychophysiological Measures (2015) · cites this paper as [9]
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“One suggested mechanism is that mindfulness facilitates disengagement from an affective stimulus and thereby decreases affective reactivity.”
From Self-Reported Trait Mindfulness and Affective Reactivity: A Motivational Approach Using Multiple Psychophysiological Measures (2015) · cites this paper as [9]
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“In line with this, authors such as Desbordes and colleagues [9] have suggested moving beyond mindfulness to focus on the outcomes of mindfulness practice, such as the development of equanimity.”
From Self-Reported Trait Mindfulness and Affective Reactivity: A Motivational Approach Using Multiple Psychophysiological Measures (2015) · cites this paper as [9]
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“Equanimity is characterized as a stable quality developed through mindfulness practice, and therefore may be a more fruitful trait-level outcome variable.”
From Self-Reported Trait Mindfulness and Affective Reactivity: A Motivational Approach Using Multiple Psychophysiological Measures (2015) · cites this paper as [9]
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“In contrast to signifying passivity, we suggest NRE, as conceptualized in the FFMQ-SF, reflects an attitude of nonavoidance with equanimity, defined as even-minded responsiveness to mental phenomena, unswayed by associated emotional valences [67].”
From Mindful Nonreactivity, Anxiety, Depression, and Perceived Stress as Mediators of the Mindfulness Virtual Community Intervention—Pathways to Enhance Mental Health in University Students: Secondary Evaluation of Two Randomized Controlled Trials With Student Participants (2025) · cites this paper as [67]
In the citing paper
“there is evidence to suggest that attention monitoring skills begin to improve more immediately after practice, while acceptance may take longer to cultivate (Baer, Carmody, & Hunsinger, 2012; Desbordes et al., 2015).”
From Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT (2017) · cites this paper as Desbordes et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“With long-term practice, though, as acceptance becomes a more automatic response and less effortful regulation of emotion is necessary, the neural correlates of acceptance may change, involving changes in resting state functional connectivity (cf. Brewer et al., 2011; Desbordes et al., 2015).”
From Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT (2017) · cites this paper as Desbordes et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“practicing an accepting stance toward emotional experiences may both reduce amygdala activation and quicken amygdala recovery, corresponding with emotion regulatory ability (Desbordes et al., 2015).”
From Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT (2017) · cites this paper as Desbordes et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“The present study also helps to address recent calls to examine the construct of equanimity as an outcome in research on mindfulness (Desbordes et al., 2015) by focusing on emotionally-even responding to stressors and examining the time-course of stress response by including repeated measures of emotional distress to assess change following exposure to stressful experiences.”
From Dispositional Mindfulness Uncouples Physiological and Emotional Reactivity to a Laboratory Stressor and Emotional Reactivity to Executive Functioning Lapses in Daily Life (2016) · cites this paper as Desbordes et al., 2015
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“We note that some intervention approaches train monitoring and acceptance practices concurrently; however, there is evidence to suggest that attentionmonitoring skills begin to improvemore immediately after practice, while acceptance may take longer to cultivate (Baer, Carmody, & Hunsinger, 2012; Desbordes et al., 201…”
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“Mindfulness may alter the lifecycle of emotional reactions as well as the overall valence of emotional experience (Desbordes et al., 2014).”
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Metadata
- Authors
- Desbordes, G., Gard, T., Hoge, E. A., Hölzel, B. K., Kerr, C., Lazar, S. W., Olendzki, A., & Vago, D. R.
- Affiliations
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Maastricht University (NL)
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
- Brown University (US)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Desbordes, Gaëlle
- Venue
- Mindfulness
- Published
- 2014-01-21
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 356-372
- ISSN
- 1868-8527 (ISSN-L)
- 1868-8535
- PMC
- PMC4350240
- OpenAlex
- W2075305762
- Semantic Scholar
- 75e9947374576cc615f3b956797d532fd805da71
- Cited by
- 505
- References
- 172
- Citations by year
- 2026: 35 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 44 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 6
- FWCI
- 36.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Mindfulness (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- MindRxiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (K23AT004432, R21AT003425, K01AT008225, R01AT006344)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- equanimity, meditation, contemplative science, outcome measures, well-being, Buddhist psychology, meditation techniques, emotional valence
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