The proposed research will investigate the role of mindfulness in mother-infant relationships and how this impacts biological aging. Telomeres, the repeated nucleotide sequences at the end of chromosomes, protect chromosomes from deterioration and enable cellular integrity. Age, relational stress, and inflammation degrade telomeres, which in turn is thought to relate to a range of health …
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Research on mindfulness has increased in recent years necessitating the development of subjective and objective methods of measuring this construct. We aim to develop a theoretically based, objective measure of daily mindfulness by examining peoples’ behavior and language use in their daily lives. Specifically, we will use the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) to collect audio …
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Caregivers of persons with dementia are a considerably understudied segment of the population. Caregiver burden is widely recognized and characterized by an increased risk for stress-related disorders and illness, including depression, sleep disorder, and cognitive impairment. Employing a randomized controlled trial, this study examined the effect of mindfulness training on cognitive function and psychological wellbeing …
Contemplative practices cultivate well-being in oneself but also foster other-oriented emotions, such as empathy, perspective-taking, and compassion. This may be due to a reduction in egocentric thought. However, the neural mechanisms behind how mindfulness reduces ego and how this might impact romantic relationships has not yet been explored. This study proposes a multi-method investigation of …
Remembering autobiographical memories of personal past experiences is very common during our daily life. When remembering these memories, the lack of contextual specificity (where and when the event happened) because of an exacerbated self-absorption by overwhelming feelings may lead to increased emotional distress. In contrast, increasing specificity by promoting a focus on contextual aspects instead …
You know that moment when you notice your mind wandering? Maybe you’re reading a book and notice that you’ve been scanning the page but thinking unrelated thoughts? This project will develop an innovative tool to model when and how your brain notices, i.e. “meta-awareness” (MA). We have some idea of neural-correlates of MA (the salience …
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Predominant theories of intergroup relations argue that ideological conflicts between American political groups are sustained by negative emotions. Cognitive reappraisal (CR), defined as the explicit reinterpretation of negative events, has been shown to reduce intergroup negative emotions. However, CR is limited in its applications to real-world political events. Mindfulness also appears to foster negative emotion …
The goal of this project is to attempt to create a safe “non-invasive” intervention for adolescents that counteract changes in blood flow seen in the brain that are associated with cumulative and repetitive non-concussive head impacts after participating in a year of American football. There is concern that accumulation of a lifetime of participation could …
‘The Histories of Varela’s Legacy within the Contemplative Sciences’ is a mixed methods historical research project. Through the decades of development of mindfulness and contemplative studies, historians have begun to recount the emergence and evolution of the theory and methods involved in such endeavours. Francisco Varela’s career, and his influence on the direction of the …
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Ethics stem from concern about the rights and welfare of others, and require the capacity to be aware of the potential for moral violations. Here, we posit that mindfulness meditation, with its ability to enhance awareness of and attention to internal and external stimuli, influences moral reasoning and decision-making, and thereby contributes to ethical behavior. …
