Self-administered mindfulness interventions reduce stress in a large, randomized controlled multi-site study.

Mindfulness witnessed a substantial popularity surge in the past decade, especially as digitally self-administered interventions became available at relatively low costs. Yet, it is uncertain whether they effectively help reduce stress. In a preregistered (OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UF4JZ ; retrospective registration at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06308744 ) multi-site study (nsites = 37, nparticipants = 2,239, 70.4% women, Mage = 22.4, s.d.age = 10.1, all fluent English speakers), we experimentally tested whether four single, standalone mindfulness exercises effectively reduced stress, using Bayesian mixed-effects models. All exercises proved to be more efficacious than the active control. We observed a mean difference of 0.27 (d = -0.56; 95% confidence interval, -0.43 to -0.69) between the control condition (M = 1.95, s.d. = 0.50) and the condition with the largest stress reduction (body scan: M = 1.68, s.d. = 0.46). Our findings suggest that mindfulness may be beneficial for reducing self-reported short-term stress for English speakers from higher-income countries.

Implicit theories shape responses to social-evaluative threat.

It is important to understand factors that make one more or less vulnerable to the harmful effects of social threat. This study focuses on the role of implicit theories (also referred to as mindsets) in shaping responses to a potent form of social threat, namely social-evaluative threat (SET). 124 individuals participated in an experimental study in which they were induced to have an incremental theory or an entity theory about their social skills. Next, they were exposed to SET in the laboratory. Psychological and physiological responses were assessed including social self-esteem, rumination, spontaneous mentions of concerns about one's social skills, and heart-rate variability. Compared to those induced to have entity theories, those induced to have incremental theories were buffered from the typical harmful effects of SET on social self-esteem, rumination, and concerns about their social skills. The association between implicit theories and heart-rate variability fell just short of significance.

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic as a predictor of daily psychological, social, and health-related outcomes.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, striking public health measures have been implemented to encourage physical distancing in order to slow the spread of disease. However, the impact of these measures on health and wellbeing is not well understood. In the current study a daily diary methodology was used to investigate the effects of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on a variety of outcomes with 230 undergraduate students. Participants completed an online diary for 3 days, reporting on daily social distancing behaviors, psychological wellbeing/resources, social/interpersonal connection with others, health behaviors, and health outcomes. Overall, daily social distancing (close adherence to social distancing guidelines) was associated with decreases in psychological wellbeing/resources, less social/interpersonal connection with others (including technology-mediated communication), fewer positive health behaviors, and increased reports of stress-related physical illness symptoms. Discussion centers on implications of these findings as well as the importance of identifying ways to mitigate the effects of these necessary but costly measures on health and wellbeing.

Working models of attachment and attribution processes in intimate relationships.

Two studies examined the link between working models of attachment and social construal processes in romantic relationships. In Study 1, individuals high in attachment-related anxiety responded to hypothetical partner transgressions by endorsing relationship-threatening attributions, experiencing emotional distress, and endorsing behavioral intentions that were likely to result in conflict. These effects emerged after controlling for pessimistic explanatory style, depressed mood, and self-esteem. In addition, the association between anxiety and emotional distress was mediated by attributions and attachment-related needs. In Study 2, anxious individuals endorsed relationship-threatening attributions for their partner's transgressions but less so for their partner's positive behaviors, and these effects occurred primarily among those in unhappy relationships. In contrast, avoidant individuals endorsed pessimistic attributions for their partner's positive behavior but less so for their partner's transgressions, and these effects occurred regardless of their level of relationship satisfaction.

Self-esteem moderates neuroendocrine and psychological responses to interpersonal rejection.

In this study, the authors investigated self-esteem as a moderator of psychological and physiological responses to interpersonal rejection and tested an integrative model detailing the mechanisms by which self-esteem may influence cognitive, affective, and physiological responses. Seventy-eight participants experienced an ambiguous interpersonal rejection (or no rejection) from an opposite sex partner in the context of an online dating interaction. Salivary cortisol was assessed at 5 times, and self-reported cognitive and affective responses were assessed. Compared with those with high self-esteem, individuals with low self-esteem responded to rejection by appraising themselves more negatively, making more self-blaming attributions, exhibiting greater cortisol reactivity, and derogating the rejector. Path analysis indicated that the link between low self-esteem and increased cortisol reactivity was mediated by self-blame attributions; cortisol reactivity, in turn, mediated the link between low self-esteem and increased partner derogation. Discussion centers on the role of self-esteem as part of a broader psychobiological system for regulating and responding to social threat and on implications for health outcomes.