Investigating the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Motivation

Recent research suggests that mindfulness meditation may impair motivation towards traditional laboratory tasks. The present research explored the effects of meditation on motivation towards more meaningful pursuits (i.e., personal goals) in contrast to a traditional laboratory task (i.e., anagrams). In Study 1 (n = 200), the mindfulness condition reported greater goal motivation than the podcast condition but not the filler questionnaire condition; goal self-concordance did not moderate this effect. Moreover, goal motivation increased from before to 10 minutes after meditating. In Study 2 (n = 120), the mindfulness condition reported greater goal motivation than the podcast condition; this difference remained 20 minutes later. There were no differences between conditions in anagram motivation at any time point. Furthermore, goal motivation increased from before to after meditating, whereas anagram motivation remained the same. The present research opposes the notion that meditation impairs motivation and instead suggests that meditation may enhance goal motivation.