Mindfulness and interpersonal perception
Can mindfulness improve the perception of subtle interpersonal feedback?
The core hypothesis is that internal verbal thought can absorb attention and reduce sensitivity to subtle social cues. Mindfulness may weaken the dominance of internal talk, allowing people to better detect how their words or actions affect another person.
Possible study designs:
- Compare mindfulness-trained and control participants on interpersonal accuracy tasks.
- Test whether brief mindfulness practice improves detection of autonomy-supportive versus controlling interaction cues.
- Use behavioral, self-report, and possibly physiological or neural measures of interpersonal sensitivity.
Key risks:
- Improved interpersonal confidence may not equal improved accuracy.
- Effects may depend heavily on the quality and type of mindfulness practice.
Related ideas: