Mindfulness is very much in right now and its benefits are touted everywhere you look online but what about its downsides?
Because as it turns out, even meditation has some negative side effects. According to a new study, being more mindful also might mean being more selfish.
Researchers from the University of Buffalo say that if you’re already prone to think you’re an independent person, mindfulness techniques will most likely amplify those thoughts and “decrease prosocial behavior.” AKA helping others before yourself. Which is not great for us here in the United States because, unlike the Eastern cultures where these techniques hail from, our culture tends to lean heavily on independence. Pretty sure there is even a declaration or something about it.
The study also found self-described independent people who engage in mindfulness were 33% less likely to volunteer. On the other hand, when people who think with “we” phrases instead of “me” phrases meditate, they become 40% more likely to volunteer their time.
Makes you wonder why more people with petitions don’t camp outside yoga studios...