Scientific Reports
October 17, 2017
Constanza Baquedano, Rodrigo C. Vergara, Vladimir Lopez et al.
34 citations
Imagining food can make it feel real, but mindful attention reduces this effect. In one condition, participants were instructed to immerse themselves in food images; in another, they applied mindful attention. Saliva volume and automatic approach bias toward attractive food were measured. Mindful attention reduced saliva volume and automatic approach bias compared to immersion. During immersion, higher saliva volume, subjective realism, and food craving traits were linked to stronger approach bias, while meditation experience was linked to weaker bias. The findings suggest that mindful attention can de-automatize automatic food biases.
Frontiers in psychology
January 1, 2022
David Martínez-pernía, Ignacio Cea, Alejandro Troncoso et al.
25 citations
Empathy for pain involves direct bodily perception and sensation, not just mental states. In an experimental phenomenological study, 28 adults watched videos of extreme-sport accidents and then underwent phenomenological interviews. Four main themes emerged: bodily resonance (kinesthetic and affective sensations coordinated with the athlete's actions), attentional focus (either on one's own discomfort or the athlete's pain), kinesthetic motivation (avoidance or helping impulses), and temporal fluctuations in experience. Two experiential structures were identified: a self-centered empathic experience focused on personal discomfort and self-protection, and an other-centered empathic experience focused on the athlete's suffering with prosocial motivation. The findings support an enactive, embodied view of empathy and extend enactive theory to non-interactive social contexts.
European Journal of Neuroscience
December 2, 2019
Constanza Baquedano, Vladimir Lopez, Diego Cosmelli et al.
8 citations
Dereification—viewing mental events as mere representations rather than accurate depictions of reality—is a core feature of mindfulness meditation, contrasted with subjective realism, where one becomes immersed in mental contents. This study examined how mindful versus immersed instructions affect approach-avoidance tendencies toward visual stimuli. Novices and experienced meditators viewed neutral and attractive food images under both states, then performed an approach-avoidance task with behavioral, salivary, EEG, and self-report measures. Approach bias toward attractive food correlated with N2 amplitude (response inhibition), and mindful instruction modulated this bias via N1 amplitude (early attention). Experienced meditators showed less late affective reappraisal during mindfulness, indicated by lower LPP amplitude. Findings suggest mechanisms by which mindfulness-based interventions may help psychiatric conditions.
Journal of Experimental Psychology General
February 22, 2024
Enrico Fucci, Oussama Abdoun, Constanza Baquedano et al.
5 citations
Compassion in Western psychology is described as being conditioned by cost-benefit appraisals, such as attributing responsibility for suffering, whereas Buddhist traditions maintain that compassion can become unconditioned and universal. This study tested whether expert Buddhist practitioners show compassion that is less influenced by moral judgments about the causes of suffering. Using self-report and behavioral data from both expert practitioners and trained novices, the researchers found that contextual information affected responsibility and blame attribution in both groups. However, experts reported higher willingness to help that was less influenced by context compared to novices.
December 9, 2022
Enrico Fucci, Oussama Abdoun, Constanza Baquedano et al.
3 citations
preprint
Compassion in Western psychology is thought to depend on cost-benefit appraisals, such as whether a person is blamed for their suffering. Buddhist traditions claim compassion can become unconditioned, free from moral judgment. This study tested expert Buddhist practitioners and trained novices using an experiment that manipulated contextual information to influence moral judgments about suffering scenarios. Context manipulation affected responsibility and blame attribution in both groups, but experts reported a higher willingness to help that was less influenced by context. Blame was negatively linked to willingness to help in novices but not in experts. The findings challenge the view that compassion is always conditioned by moral appraisals.