Short-term mindfulness intervention reduces the negative attentional effects associated with heavy media multitasking.

ABSTRACT: Recent research suggests that frequently switching between various forms of media (i.e. 'media multitasking') is associated with diminished attentional abilities, a disconcerting result given the prevalence of media multitasking in today's society. In the present study, we sought to investigate the extent to which the deficits associated with frequent media multitasking can be temporarily ameliorated via a short-term mindfulness intervention previously shown to produce beneficial effects on the attentional abilities of normally functioning individuals. Consistent with previous work, we found: (1) that heavy media multitaskers showed generally poorer attentional abilities than light media multitaskers and (2) that all participants showed benefits from the short-term mindfulness intervention

SUBMITTER: Gorman TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4834474 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature