The gift of presence: exploring the relationship between mindfulness and positive affect

Abstract

Despite the ever-increasing ease of communication, feelings of isolation and loneliness have been on the rise, especially after the pandemic (Murthy, 2023). Given this information, the need to increase positive affect, or the extent to which an individual subjectively experiences positive moods such as joy, interest, and alertness, is of increasing relevance (Miller, 2011). There is much research on the general benefits of mindfulness, the non judgemental and non elaborative awareness of one’s immediate experience (i.e., present thoughts, feelings, and sensations) with an orientation of curiosity and acceptance (Hayes & Feldman, 2004). Most research around mindfulness is focused on one’s well being particularly in regard to meditative practices. However, there is less research discussing the pathways mindfulness operates through to promote positive affect. Self esteem, or one’s overall sense of being a worthy and valuable person, may be one of these pathways (Rosenburg, 1965). The current study explores the relationship between mindfulness and positive affect with a simple mediation analysis in which self esteem is utilized as a potential mediator. The measures were assessed with a Qualtrics survey in which 95 anonymous participants engaged in a reflective or analytical activity for three minutes. The current study explores whether self esteem mediates the relationship between mindfulness and positive affect. Implications for psychology researchers and clinicians are discussed.