Mindfulness and Time Perception

Mindfulness and attention are positively correlated, as are attention and time perception. The current study examined the relationship between mindfulness and time perception in order to test the hypothesis that increased mindfulness is related to a longer and more accurate perception of time. The method used was a correlational design that included self-reported measures of mindfulness, time perception, and time affluence, as well as behavioral tasks used to measure time perception. A relationship was found between trait mindfulness and self-reported time affluence that indicated that people higher in mindfulness felt “wealthier” in time. Additionally, a positive trend was found between a time perception behavioral task and state mindfulness, suggesting that as state mindfulness increased, time perception also increased. Findings supported the hypothesis that greater mindfulness is linked with more time affluence, and partially supported the link between mindfulness and a longer perception of time, as well. However, the hypothesis that increased mindfulness is associated with a more accurate perception of time was not supported. Since time affluence has been linked to greater well-being (Kasser & Sheldon, 2009) the current study has implications for a potentially important mechanism of mindfulness towards well-being, i.e., time perception.Bachelor of Scienc

The impact of changing attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy on health-related intentions and behavior: a meta-analysis

Objective: Several health behavior theories converge on the hypothesis that attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy are important determinants of intentions and behavior. Yet inferences regarding the relation between these cognitions and intention or behavior rest largely on correlational data that preclude causal inferences. To determine whether changing attitudes, norms, or self-efficacy leads to changes in intentions and behavior, investigators need to randomly assign participants to a treatment that significantly increases the respective cognition relative to a control condition, and test for differences in subsequent intentions or behavior. The present review analyzed findings from 204 experimental tests that met these criteria. Methods: Studies were located using computerized searches and informal sources and meta-analyzed using STATA Version 11. Results: Experimentally induced changes in attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy all led to medium-sized changes in intention (d+ = .48, .49, and .51, respectively), and engendered small to medium-sized changes in behavior (attitudes-d+ = .38; norms-d+ = .36; self-efficacy-d+ = .47). These effect sizes generally were not qualified by the moderator variables examined (e.g., study quality, theoretical basis of the intervention, methodological characteristics, features of the targeted behavior), although effects were larger for interventions designed to increase (vs. decrease) behavioral performance. Conclusion: The present review lends novel, experimental support for key predictions from health behavior theories, and demonstrates that interventions that modify attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy are effective in promoting health behavior change