Does Meditation Training Influence Social Approach and Avoidance Goals? Evidence from a Randomized Intervention Study of
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Does Meditation Training Influence Social Approach and Avoidance Goals? Evidence from a Randomized Intervention Study of Midlife Adults Brian P. Don 1
&
Sara B. Algoe 1 & Barbara L. Fredrickson 1
Accepted: 30 September 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Objectives Social approach and avoidance goals—which refer to individual differences in the desire to pursue rewards versus avoid negative experiences in social relationships—have numerous implications for the health and quality of social relationships. Although endorsement of these goals largely arises from people’s pre-dispositions towards approach and avoidance, in this research, we proposed that meditation training has the potential to beneficially influence the extent to which people adopt approach and avoidance goals. Specifically, we hypothesized that individuals who were randomly assigned to receive training in mindfulness or loving-kindness meditation would report differences in social approach and avoidance goals, as compared with those in a wait-list control condition, and that these effects would be mediated by differences in positive and negative emotions. Methods To examine these hypotheses, we drew upon a community-based, randomized intervention study of 138 midlife adults, who were assigned to receive mindfulness training, loving-kindness training, or no training in meditation. Results As compared with the control condition, results demonstrated that loving-kindness training was directly associated with lower social avoidance goals, and indirectly associated with greater social approach goals, via enhanced positive emotion. Conclusions These results suggest loving-kindness meditation is a means by which people can beneficially influence their approach and avoidance tendencies, which likely plays an important role in enhancing their social relationships. Keywords Approach motivation . Avoidance motivation . Meditation . Emotion . Relationships
When it comes to social relationships, motivation matters. Social approach and avoidance goals refer individual differences in the extent to which people tend to pursue rewards versus avoid threats in their close social relationships (Gable 2006; Gable and Impett 2012). These goals have important implications for relational outcomes, with approach social goals predicting a host of beneficial outcomes, and avoidance goals generally predicting maladaptive outcomes (Bernecker et al. 2019; Gable 2006; Gable and Impett 2012; Impett et al. 2010; Kuster et al. 2017). Given the centrality of healthy social relationships to mental and physical well-being (e.g., Holt-Lunstad et al. 2010; Santini et al. 2015), a key question
* Brian P. Don [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
is the following: is it possible for people to actively shift their social approach and avoidance tendencies? Although approach and avoidance social goals arise from biological and life-cour
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