Mindfulness Forward and Back

Abstract

The work on mindlessness/mindfulness is briefly reviewed to help make the case that there is a plethora of research showing that mindlessness is pervasive and costly. The etiology of mindfulness without meditation is then discussed and compared to Eastern notions of mindfulness. Recent findings on a mindful GPS system, multitasking, and a mindful approach to childbirth speak to the wide applicability of this theory. Past confusions regarding mindfulness from this Western scientific perspective—that mindfulness is a cognitive process rather than one that involves all of the senses—are addressed. For example, in a recent study, we found that by instructing participants to notice novelty, vision and touch improved. The penultimate discussion considers how this distinction between mindfulness and mindlessness speaks to mind/body dualism and may bring into question many of the classic findings in social psychology. Finally, mindfulness (“West” and “East”) is proposed as the solution to many if not most of life's problems from the mindlessness practiced in schools, in dealing with ill health, to corporations.

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