Mindfulness and self-absorption: Examining the relationship between non-elaborative attention and shifts in rigidity of self-consciousness

While researchers have explored the relationship between mindfulness and self-consciousness, none have investigated the relationship between mindfulness and self-absorption. This study examined the relationship between mindfulness and private and public self-absorption. The sample consisted of 224 individuals anonymously recruited from various locations. We found a negative relationship between mindfulness and both private and public self-absorption. We did not find any significant differences between the number of years that participants had been practicing mindfulness on the one hand and the relation of mindfulness to self-absorption on the other. Implications for psychopathology, attentional flexibility, and the processing of information with reference to the self are discussed