A mind you can count on: validating breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness
Daniel B. Levinson, Eli L. Stoll, Sonam D. Kindy, Hillary L. Merry, Richard J. Davidson
Frontiers in Psychology October 24, 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01202 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA behavioral measure of mindfulness, breath counting, was validated across four studies involving over 400 participants. Breath counting was reliable, correlated with self-reported mindfulness, distinguished long-term meditators from age-matched controls, and was distinct from measures of sustained attention and working memory. Greater skill in breath counting was associated with more meta-awareness, less mind wandering, better mood, and greater non-attachment. A randomized online training study found that four weeks of breath counting training improved mindfulness and decreased mind wandering compared to working memory training and no training controls. These findings support breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Construct validation study with four independent studies including a randomized online training study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 400 |
| Population | Over 400 total participants including long-term meditators and age-matched controls |
| Interventions | breath counting training working memory training |
| Duration | 4-week training period |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Measure data warehouse Cognitive psychology Clinical psychology Computer science |
| Citations | 297 |
| Key finding | Breath counting is a valid behavioral measure of mindfulness, as it was reliable, correlated with self-reported mindfulness, differentiated meditators from controls, and was distinct from attention and memory measures. |
Abstract
Mindfulness practice of present moment awareness promises many benefits, but has eluded rigorous behavioral measurement. To date, research has relied on self-reported mindfulness or heterogeneous mindfulness trainings to infer skillful mindfulness practice and its effects. In four independent studies with over 400 total participants, we present the first construct validation of a behavioral measure of mindfulness, breath counting. We found it was reliable, correlated with self-reported mindfulness, differentiated long-term meditators from age-matched controls, and was distinct from sustained attention and working memory measures. In addition, we employed breath counting to test the nomological network of mindfulness. As theorized, we found skill in breath counting associated with more meta-awareness, less mind wandering, better mood, and greater non-attachment (i.e., less attentional capture by distractors formerly paired with reward). We also found in a randomized online training study that 4 weeks of breath counting training improved mindfulness and decreased mind wandering relative to working memory training and no training controls. Together, these findings provide the first evidence for breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness.