Exploring Mindfulness and Mindful Eating and Visual Attention Towards Food Cues: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

Continual exposure to energy dense foods is suggested to promote overeating and obesity. The aim of the present research was to explore whether or not mindfulness could reduce visual attention towards food cues. In two laboratory studies, participants with a normal weight range completed an eye-tracking paradigm, and their eye-movements were recorded. In study 1, participants were exposed to either mindfulness meditation or a control condition, and their eye-movements towards low energy density (LED) vs high energy density (HED) food cues were measured. In study 2, participants were assigned to a mindful eating condition using a Mindful Construal Diary (MCD) or a control condition, and their eye-movements towards LED or HED food vs. non-food cues were recorded. In study 1, participants in the mindfulness meditation condition had greater attention duration towards LED food cues, whilst those in the control condition exhibited greater attention duration towards HED food cues. In study 2, there were no significant differences in the maintenance of attentional biases towards food cues between the two conditions. Mindfulness meditation may be beneficial in increasing attention towards LED food cues. Future research should further explore the effect of mindfulness and mindful eating on visual attention towards food cues with people who suffer from excess weight or have obesity, and also within naturalistic settings.