Mindfulness: Relations with Prejudice, Social Dominance Orientation, and Right-Wing Authoritarianism

Abstract

Mindfulness is associated with being less judgmental and with a reduction in feelings of anxiety. It is believed to increase non-judgmental cognitive processing and reduce negative associations as a consequence of automatic processing. We hypothesized that mindfulness is negatively correlated with prejudiced attitudes. In a series of five studies, with sample sizes ranging from 93 to 184, participants from Prolific, psychology research sites, or college completed measures online. We examined the relation of three mindfulness measures, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised, and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills with three markers of prejudice: attitudes to outgroups, an affective thermometer scale, and social worldviews. The attitudinal instrument focused on stigmatized groups, such as newcomers, homeless persons, handicapped individuals, and Blacks. The affective thermometer measured feelings of warmth to individuals classified as dissident, derogated, or dangerous. The two social worldviews assessed were Social Dominance Orientation and Right-Wing Authoritarianism, both associated with prejudice. Few significant associations were found. The only significant associations found were between the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, Right-Wing Authoritarianism, and Social Dominance Orientation. These findings provide little support for the relation between trait mindfulness and attitudinal expressions of prejudice.