Abstract
BackgroundExplicit and implicit attitudes have been studied extensively, but there is less attention to reducing dissonance between them. This is relevant because this dissonance (IED) results in distress and has inconsistent effects on behavior, e.g. less physical activity but more smoking. Mindfulness decreases dissonance between self-related explicit and implicit constructs. This study investigates if, and which, specific mindfulness subskills are associated with decreased dissonance between explicit and implicit attitudes, and whether mindfulness subskills moderate the relationship between IED and intention/behavior.MethodAt baseline and one and three months thereafter, participants’ (N = 1476) explicit attitudes, implicit attitudes, red meat consumption (RMC), intention to reduce RMC as well as levels of trait mindfulness were assessed.ResultsMindfulness subskills were not associated with decreased IED. IED was associated with lower RMC and a higher intention to reduce RMC. The mindfulness subskill acceptance buffered the effect of IED on intention, seemingly offering a skill to deal with dissonant attitudes, which was unidentified until now.ConclusionThe mindfulness subskill accepting without judgment functions as a way to deal with dissonance. Future research should use this novel finding and investigate whether mindfulness can be used as a buffer in contexts where dissonance results in maladaptive behaviors.
Highlights
Explicit and implicit attitudes have been studied extensively, but there is less attention to reducing dissonance between them
The mindfulness subskill acceptance buffered the effect of IED on intention, seemingly offering a skill to deal with dissonant attitudes, which was unidentified until now
The mindfulness subskill accepting without judgment functions as a way to deal with dissonance
Summary
Explicit and implicit attitudes have been studied extensively, but there is less attention to reducing dissonance between them. The second source draws on intuitive feelings and automatic evaluations towards a target and shapes a person’s implicit tendencies (e.g. an implicit attitude or an approach or avoidance tendency) These rather unconscious evaluations occur regardless of whether the individual. Dissonance between these two types of evaluations has mainly been explored for self-related topics such as selfesteem or affective experiences [10,11,12] This dissonance (2020) 8:32 has been shown to result in psychological distress and negative health outcomes, such as unhealthy forms of perfectionism, higher levels of narcissism, being more vulnerable to criticism, being more prone for anger suppression [11, 13,14,15] as well as in diminished physical and psychological health [14]. Congruence between implicit and explicit evaluations might decrease distress and improve health outcomes
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