Can Mindfulness Meditation Increase Vulnerability to False Memory Formation?

Mindfulness meditation is increasingly used for stress reduction and emotional self-regulation. But might its emphasis on judgment-free awareness and acceptance decrease abilities to determine whether sensory impressions or thoughts had external or internal sources, thereby increasing vulnerability to false memories? Investigators conducted three experiments using a test that examines whether a list of closely associated words internally activates a word not on the list (as an example, a list with garbage-related words but not “trash,” which is the “critical item”).

First, 153 undergraduate students were randomized to 15 minutes of mindfulness meditation induction (guided focused breathing without judgment) or mind-wandering induction (i.e.,…