Interest in the phenomenology and transformative effects of awe and mystical experiences, both pharmaceutically induced and naturally occurring, has been on a significant rise in the last decade. Some recent research, however, has highlighted the range of negative side effects that can stem from such experiences, with one major potential side effect being the risk of forming false beliefs. The sense of profound truth that frequently accompanies such experiences has been found to be susceptible to manipulation, leading people to both be more likely to agree with false statements and to have inflated confidence in any accompanying discoveries. The present series of studies aims to examine the potential of meditation training to reduce the risks of forming false opinions following a laboratory awe induction. In our first two studies, we examine the role of meditative experience in protecting against 1) inflated confidence and 2) false feelings of truth. In our third study, we examine the efficacy of a brief mindfulness training in reducing inflated confidence and false feelings of truth. Through this research, we aim to understand both the means by which awe-induced feelings of truth can be induced, and how they can be guarded against.
Varela Grant
