Mindful acceptance dampens neuroaffective reactions to external and rewarding performance feedback
Abstract
Previous research on mindfulness has suggested that individuals high in trait mindfulness show heightened sensitivity to visceral and internally generated stimuli. However, when mindful individuals are exposed to external stimuli-such as pictures or faces-their emotional responses are typically attenuated. In the current study, we tested how trait mindfulness relates to reactivity in response to a different type of external stimulus, namely, performance feedback. Using electroencephalography, we recorded participants' neuroaffective reactions to rewarding, aversive, and neutral feedback, as indexed by the feedback-related negativity (FRN). The FRN is a brain response that peaks approximately 250 ms after feedback presentation, and it is thought to differentiate feedback indicating favorable versus unfavorable outcomes. Our findings suggest trait mindfulness predicts less differentiation of rewarding from neutral feedback, but does not predict brain differentiation of aversive from neutral feedback. This was the case particularly for individuals who scored highly on the "acceptance" facet of mindfulness, a facet that assesses the nonjudgmental acceptance of thoughts and emotions. We discuss the implications of these findings for current theory on mindfulness and emotion regulation.
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Self-reported trait mindfulness has been shown to affect responses to emotional stimuli other than pictures, including social evaluative stress, CO2 inhalation, rewarding stimuli, and conflict discussion.
“For example, self-reported trait mindfulness has been shown to reduce cortisol and negative affect to social evaluative stress [55], to reduce heart rate and subjective distress to CO2 inhalation while engaging in suppression [56], to dampen neuroaffective reactions (i.e., the feedback-related negativity) to rewarding stimuli during a time-estimation task [57], and to decrease cortisol and neg”
From Self-Reported Trait Mindfulness and Affective Reactivity: A Motivational Approach Using Multiple Psychophysiological Measures (2015) · cites this paper as [57]
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“, the feedback-related negativity) to rewarding stimuli during a timeestimation task [57], and to decrease cortisol and negative affect and to increase positive cognitive appraisals during a conflict discussion in heterosexual couples [58].”
Background
- Authors
- Teper, R., & Inzlicht, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- ORCID
- Inzlicht, Michael
- Venue
- Emotion
- Published
- 2014-02
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 105-114
- ISSN
- 1528-3542 (ISSN-L)
- 1931-1516
- OpenAlex
- W2151628276
- Cited by
- 35
- References
- 66
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 4.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Emotion (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (410-2011-1301)
- Canada Foundation for Innovation
- Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Keywords
- trait mindfulness, mindful acceptance, performance feedback, feedback-related negativity, reward processing, emotion regulation, external stimuli
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Electroencephalography, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Reward, Feedback, Psychological, Young Adult, Mindfulness, Interoception
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