A new study from the University of Utah shows that individuals
who describe themselves as being more mindful have more stable
emotions and perceive themselves to have better control over
their mood and behavior throughout the day. Higher mindful
people also describe less cognitive and physiological activation
before bedtime, suggesting that greater emotional stability
during the day might even translate into better sleep. The study
results will be presented later this month at the annual meeting
of the American Psychosomatic Society. Prior studies of
mindfulness—paying attention in a particular way, on purpose in
the present moment and non-judgmentally—have typically been
conducted with participants trained in mindfulness, for example
meditation or other interventions. In contrast, this study
examines naturally-occurring traits of mindfulness. Using a
novel method for data collection, the participants wore a
monitor that measured cardiac functioning and were prompted
periodically throughout the day to rate th