The Mindfulness Map : A Practical Classification Framework of Mindfulness Practices, Associated Intentions, and Experiential Understandings

When considering the numerous mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed programs that have flourished in the past decades it is not always clear that they all refer to the same “mindfulness. ” To facilitate more clarity and precision in describing, researching and teaching mindfulness in the secular settings, we propose a classification framework of mindfulness practices, intentions behind them and the experiential understandings the practices may aim to develop. Accordingly, the proposed framework, called the Mindfulness Map, has two axes. The first axis outlines mindfulness practices (and associated instructions) classified into four groups (MGs), e.g. the MG1 focuses on cultivating attention to the present moment somatic and sensory experience while the MG4 focuses on cultivating the ability to recognize and deconstruct perceptual, cognitive and emotional experiences and biases. The second axis outlines possible intentions (INTs) to cultivate particular experiential understanding (EU) via teaching and practicing the MGs, e.g., the INT1 designates the intention to gain EU of how our relationship to experience contributes to wellbeing, the INT2 refers to the intention to gain EU of the changing nature of body, mind and external phenomenon. We suggest that the same MG can lead to different EUs outcomes based on the specific INTs applied in their teaching or practice. The range of INTs and EUs included here is not exhaustive, there are further types the Map could be expanded toward. Aside from encouraging more fine-grained distinctions of mindfulness practices, the proposed Map aims to open discussions about interactions between MGs, INTs, EUs and practice outcomes. The Map may facilitate more nuanced and precise approaches to researching the range of outcomes cultivated by mindfulness practices, help bridge contradictory findings, and catalyze further debate and research into ethical aspects of mindfulness. The Map also highlights the need for further teaching development and research on longer-term trajectories of mindfulness practice. While the proposed Mindfulness Map organises the mindfulness practice territory along two axes, it is aimed as a starting point for further discussion and can be further revised and/or expanded by other axes

From Oxytocin to Compassion: The Saliency of Distress

Compassion is a warm response of care and concern for those who are suffering, which drives individuals to devote their resources for the sake of others. A prominent neuroevolutionary framework grounds compassion in the neurobiology of the mammalian caregiving system. Accordingly, it has been suggested that the oxytocinergic system, which plays a central role in parental caregiving and bonding, provides the neurobiological foundation for compassion towards strangers. Yet, the specific role of oxytocin in compassion is far from clear. The current paper aims to target this gap and offer a theoretical framework that integrates the state-of-the-art literature on oxytocin with research on compassion. We suggest that oxytocin mediates compassion by enhancing the saliency of cues of pain and distress and discuss the plausible underlying neurobiological substrates. We further demonstrate how the proposed framework can account for individual differences in compassion, focusing on the effects of attachment on caregiving and support. The proposed framework integrates the current scientific understanding of oxytocin function with compassion-related processes. It thus highlights the largely ignored attentional processes in compassion and taps into the vast variability of responses in social contexts involving pain and suffering

Association of autonomic synchronization and emotional convergence.

<p>Correlation between the extent of autonomic synchronization, as indexed by ISC_composite scores, and the degree of emotional convergence (small delta scores signify higher convergence). Results are shown separately for positive and negative emotional movies.</p

At the End of the Day, Are Screens Good or Bad for You? A Critical Review of Randomized Controlled Studies

In recent years, screen-based technologies have changed the way we communicate, study and consume goods, entertainment and information. Thus, our environment has changed profoundly, and it is reasonable to assume that children today have a different developmental environment compared to the past, making it crucial to understand the impact of our technology-rich environment on development as well as on physical and psychological well-being. The goal of the present paper is to provide a comprehensive review of randomized controlled studies assessing effects of screen use on physiology and behavior, in order to give as wide as possible a picture of screen use and its various effects. We conclude with a discussion focusing on the ability to reach “bottom lines” regarding the down- and upsides of screen-use. We also highlight and discuss the major areas in which knowledge about the effects of screens is lacking, requiring further high-quality and well-controlled studies

The Mere Co-Presence: Synchronization of Autonomic Signals and Emotional Responses across Co-Present Individuals Not Engaged in Direct Interaction

<div><p>Existing evidence suggests that in social contexts individuals become coupled in their emotions and behaviors. Furthermore, recent biological studies demonstrate that the physiological signals of interacting individuals become coupled as well, exhibiting temporally synchronized response patterns. However, it is yet unknown whether people can shape each other's responses without the direct, face-to-face interaction. Here we investigated whether the convergence of physiological and emotional states can occur among “merely co-present” individuals, without direct interactional exchanges. To this end, we measured continuous autonomic signals and collected emotional responses of participants who watched emotional movies together, seated side-by-side. We found that the autonomic signals of co-present participants were idiosyncratically synchronized and that the degree of this synchronization was correlated with the convergence of their emotional responses. These findings suggest that moment-to-moment emotional transmissions, resulting in shared emotional experiences, can occur in the absence of direct communication and are mediated by autonomic synchronization.</p></div

Experimental and control time-shifts.

<p>Descriptive statistics of the control sampling distribution (means and standard deviations) and the experimental sample (means and standard error), as well as the p values for the H₁ hypothesis, computed for both autonomic measures (lag_EDA, lag_HR) and for both emotional movies (positive movie, negative movie).</p><p>Experimental and control time-shifts.</p

Experimental and control ISCs.

<p>Descriptive statistics of the control sampling distribution (means and standard deviations) and the experimental sample (means and 95% CIs), as well as the p values for H₁ hypothesis, computed for both autonomic measures (ISCeda, ISChr) and for both emotional movies (positive movie, negative movie).</p><p>Experimental and control ISCs.</p

Average autonomic response time-courses elicited by positive and negative movies.

<p>Figure presents normalized EDA (blue) and HR (red) response time-courses (2HZ), averaged across participants. Shaded areas represent standard errors.</p

Disruptive Effects of Colorful versus Non-Colorful Play Area on Structured Play – a Pilot Study with Preschoolers

To contribute to young children's development, sensory enrichment is often provided via colorful play areas. However, little is known about the effects of colorful environments on children while they engage in age-appropriate tasks and games. Studies in adults suggest that aspects of color can distract attention and impair performance, and children are known to have less developed attentional and executive abilities than adults. Preliminary studies conducted in children aged 5-8 suggest that the colorfulness of both distal (e.g., wall decorations) and proximal (e.g., the surface of the desktop) environments can have a disruptive effect on children's performance. The present research seeks to extend the previous studies to an even younger age group and focus on proximal colorfulness. With a sample of 15 pre-schoolers (3-4 years old) we examined whether a colorful play surface compared to a non-colorful (white) play surface would affect engagement in developmentally appropriate structured play. Our pilot findings suggest that a colorful play surface interfered with preschoolers' structured play, inducing more behaviors indicating disruption in task execution compared with a non-colorful play surface. The implications of the current study for practice and further research are discussed