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Brief loving-kindness meditation reduces racial bias, mediated by positive other-regarding emotions

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posted on 2023-06-09, 00:42 authored by Alexander J Stell, Tom FarsidesTom Farsides
The relationship between positive emotions and implicit racial prejudice is unclear. Interventions using positive emotions to reduce racial bias have been found wanting, while other research shows that positive affect can sometimes exacerbate implicit prejudice. Nevertheless, loving-kindness meditation (LKM) has shown some promise as a method of reducing bias despite increasing a broad range of positive emotions. A randomised control trial (n = 69) showed that a short-term induction of LKM decreased automatic processing, increased controlled processing, and was sufficient to reduce implicit prejudice towards the target’s racial group but not towards a group untargeted by the meditation. Furthermore, the reduction in bias was shown to be mediated by other-regarding positive emotions alongside increased control and decreased automaticity on the IAT. Non-other-regarding positive emotions conversely showed no correlation with bias. The study is the first to show that a short-term positive emotional induction can reduce racial prejudice, and aids the understanding of how positive emotions functionally differentiate in affecting bias.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Motivation and Emotion

ISSN

0146-7239

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Issue

1

Volume

40

Page range

140-147

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-04-07

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2016-09-09

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-04-07

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