A brief morning meditation before work can improve well-being later in the evening by fostering autonomous self-regulation and increasing the experience of flow at work. In a 10-day quasi-experimental study with 78 participants, a 10-minute mindfulness intervention during the final 5 days showed a positive indirect effect on subjective vitality in the evening through self-regulation and flow. However, the intervention did not indirectly affect vitality via effortful self-control. The findings clarify how mindfulness influences distinct regulatory processes that cross the boundary between work and home domains.
Over eight weeks, mindfulness and flow experience increased linearly while perceived stress decreased among participants in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program compared to an inactive control group. Emotional exhaustion amplified the beneficial effects: the more emotionally exhausted individuals were, the stronger the positive link between growing mindfulness and increasing flow, and the stronger the negative link between growing mindfulness and decreasing stress. These results suggest that mindfulness training can both reduce stress and enhance the autotelic experience of flow, particularly for chronically depleted people. The quasi-experimental design, self-report measures, and participant dropout limit the conclusions.