A heart and a mind: Self-distancing facilitates the association between heart rate variability

Cardiac vagal tone (indexed via resting heart rate variability - HRV) has been previously associated with superior executive functioning. Is HRV related to wiser reasoning and less biased judgments? Here, we hypothesize that this will be the case when adopting a self-distanced (as opposed to a self-immersed) perspective, with self-distancing enabling individuals with higher HRV to overcome bias-promoting egocentric impulses and to reason wisely. However, higher HRV may not be associated with greater wisdom when adopting a self-immersed perspective. Participants were randomly assigned to reflect on societal issues from a self-distanced- or self-immersed perspective, with responses coded for reasoning quality. In a separate task, participants read about and evaluated a person performing morally ambiguous actions, with responses coded for dispositional vs. situational attributions. We simultaneously assessed resting cardiac recordings, obtaining 6 HRV indicators. As hypothesized, in the self-distanced condition, each HRV indicator was positively related to prevalence of wisdom-related reasoning (e.g., prevalence of recognition of limits of one’s knowledge, recognition that the world is in flux/change, consideration of others’ opinions and search for an integration of these opinions) and to balanced vs. biased attributions (recognition of situational and dispositional factors vs. focus on dispositional factors alone). In contrast, there was no relationship between these variables in the self-immersed condition. We discuss implications for research on psychophysiology, cognition, and wisdom

Embracing the complexity of our inner worlds : Understanding the dynamics of self-compassion and self-criticism [Commentary]

Objectives Although research in self-compassion has been rapidly growing, there is still substantial controversy about its meaning and measurement. The controversy centers on Neff’s popular Self- Compassion Scale (SCS) and the argument that compassionate self-responding (CSR) and uncompassionate self-responding (UCS) are a single dimension versus the argument that they are two semi-independent, unipolar dimensions, with UCS not reflective of “true” self-compassion. Methods We review the evidence for both positions and conclude that the data cannot yet resolve the debate. Results Neither position is proven to be right or wrong. We recommend the way forward is to let go of traditional factor analytic approaches and examine self-compassionate behavior as a dynamic network of interacting processes that are influenced by context. This leads us to three classes of testable hypotheses. The link between CS and UCS will depend on the timeframe of measurement, current circumstances, and individual differences. Conclusions We propose a middle ground to the SCS debate; rather than supporting the single total score, 2-factor score (CSR and UCS) or the 6-factor score (the six subscales of the SCS), we argue these constructs interact dynamically, and the decision of which scoring method to use should depend on the three testable contextual hypotheses

The Compassion Balance: Understanding the Interrelation of Self- and Other-Compassion for Optimal Well-being

Objectives: This study examined the role of self-other harmony in the relations between self-compassion, other-compassion, and well-being. Past research has shown self- and other-compassion to be positively related. But we hypothesised that self-compassion can be perceived as incompatible with other-compassion, and that self-compassion and other-compassion might be uncorrelated or negatively correlated in daily life for some individuals. We termed this pattern lack of self-other harmony in compassion and hypothesised that it would undermine the benefits of compassion. Method: Using an experience sampling method in patients (n=154) with a variety of diagnoses, we measured self-compassion, other-compassion, life-satisfaction, mood, and contextual variables six times per day for 42 time points. Results: For most participants, self-compassion was positively associated with other-compassion. However, there was substantial heterogeneity in this effect. The degree of self-other harmony moderated the link between compassion directed towards self or other and well-being. Higher levels of compassion were associated with higher levels of well-being, but only for those who experienced the harmony. When the two forms of compassion were not in harmony, levels of self/other-compassion were largely unrelated to well-being. Conclusions: The findings emphasise the importance of personalised compassion interventions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Increasing self-compassion or other-compassion is likely to improve well-being for most people. However, for a minority lacking the self-other harmony, it may be necessary to assess their interpretation of self- and other-compassion, then work with them to promote the compassion balance optimal for their well-being

Nonattachment and mindfulness: Related but distinct constructs

In this study, we examined whether nonattachment, a relatively new construct in the mindfulness literature, showed convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity in relation to the well-studied 5 facets of mindfulness. Mindfulness was defined as a multifaceted construct including observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity; and measured using the recently validated, 20-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Tran, Glück, & Nader, 2013; Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006). Nonattachment was defined as a flexible, balanced way of relating to one’s experiences without clinging to or suppressing them, and measured using the 7-item Nonattachment Scale (NAS-7; Elphinstone, Sahdra, & Ciarrochi, 2015; Sahdra, Shaver, & Brown, 2015). In a large nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 7,884; 52% women; age, M = 47.9, SD = 16), nonattachment was positively related to all 5 aspects of mindfulness. Structural equation modeling showed that the 20-item FFMQ and NAS-7 showed good fit; their factor structures were invariant across genders and age groups; and NAS-7 was empirically distinguishable from the 5 mindfulness facets. Hierarchical regression models provided evidence of the incremental validity of NAS-7. Finally, mediation models showed that nonattachment substantially mediated the links between the mindfulness facets and the outcome variables of satisfaction with life and life effectiveness

Developing an item pool to assess processes of change in psychological interventions : The Process-Based Assessment Tool (PBAT)

Process-based therapy (PBT) focuses on treatment elements that target biopsychosocial processes of relevance to individual treatment goals. This focus requires new, more integrative and idionomic models that identify key processes of change, using high temporal density measurement applied at the level of the person. Standard measurement validation approaches are inadequate to this challenge. The present study develops and provides a preliminary validation of a process-based assessment tool (PBAT) -- an item pool meant for intensive longitudinal clinical assessment. Developed using the Extended-Evolutionary Meta-Model of PBT and evaluated using a machine-learning algorithm appropriate for the evaluation of individual items, we administered the PBAT online to a sample of 598 participants (290 male; 302 female; 6 unidentified. Mage = 32.6). Analyses revealed that the PBAT distinguishes between positive and negative processes, links in theoretically coherent ways to need satisfaction and thwarting, and links to clinically relevant outcomes of sadness, anger, anxiety, stress, lack of social support, vitality, and health. The PBAT provides a beginning step towards developing a process-based tool that allows clinicians and researchers to select individual items or sets of items for individual-focused idionomic research and practice

Using genetic algorithms in a large nationally representative American sample to abbreviate the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are robust machine learning approaches for abbreviating a large set of variables into a shorter subset that maximally captures the variance in the original data. We employed a GA-based method to shorten the 62-item Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ) by half without much loss of information. Experiential avoidance or the tendency to avoid negative internal experiences is a key target of many psychological interventions and its measurement is an important issue in psychology. The 62-item MEAQ has been shown to have good psychometric properties, but its length may limit its use in most practical settings. The recently validated 15-item brief version (BEAQ) is one short alternative, but it reduces the multidimensional scale to a single dimension. We sought to shorten the 62-item MEAQ by half while maintaining fidelity to its six dimensions. In a large nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 7884, 52% female, Age: M = 47.9, SD = 16), we employed a GA method of scale abbreviation implemented in the R package, GAabbreviate. The GA-derived short form, MEAQ-30 with five items per subscale, performed virtually identically to the original 62-item MEAQ in terms of inter-subscales correlations, factor structure, factor correlations, and zero-order correlations and unique latent associations of the six subscales with other measures of mental distress, wellbeing and personal strivings. The two measures also showed similar distributions of means across American census regions. The MEAQ-30 provides a multidimensional assessment of experiential avoidance whilst minimizing participant burden. The study adds to the emerging literature on the utility of machine learning methods in psychometrics

Attachment security as a foundation for kindness toward self and others

Based on attachment theory and decades of research on attachment processes and relationships, this chapter shows that attachment security, experienced in relationships with sensitive and responsive parents and partners across the life span, fosters positive attitudes toward both self and others, and also provides a foundation for desirable psychological states discussed in the Buddhist literature: mindfulness, self-compassion, and nonattachment. We review research involving children, adolescents, and adults showing that the major forms of attachment insecurity—anxiety and avoidance—interfere with healthy self-approval and self-acceptance, and also with kindness and generosity toward others. Self-acceptance and self-compassion are not “egoistic” in the negative sense; far from being psychologically and socially destructive, they are foundations of openness and kindness toward others. The usual origin of attachment-related security is supportive relationships in childhood, but security can also be increased by later relationships and by laboratory and clinical interventions

High School Students’ Tenacity and Flexibility in Goal Pursuit Linked to Life Satisfaction and Achievement on Competencies Tests

Using the dual process theoretical framework (Brandtstädter & Rothermund, 2002), we examined whether the tendency to pursue goals tenaciously (TEN), in conjunction with the tendency to flexibly adjust one’s preferences (FLEX), would be beneficial or detrimental for high school students’ self-reported life satisfaction and achievement on tests of academic competencies. We used data from a sample of German high school students (N = 10,957) from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), and a combination of machine-learning-based psychometrics and latent structural equation modeling. The results showed that the interaction of TEN and FLEX was negatively associated with both outcomes of life satisfaction and test performance. Having high levels of both TEN and FLEX appear to have no benefit for students’ life satisfaction and seem to be counterproductive for their achievement on competencies tests. The findings are consistent with the theory that having high levels of both TEN and FLEX would represent a regulatory dilemma in which the two tendencies work against each other. The results suggest the need for targeted interventions that build on students’ personal strengths in tenacity or flexibility to minimize their regulatory dilemma of tenaciously pursuing goals while flexibly adapting them at the same time