A new study from North Carolina State University finds that staying mindful while planning may improve responses to stressful events.
The researchers analyzed data from a study involving 223 people, where 116 participants were aged 60–90, and 107 were aged 18–36.
At the baseline, the participants filled in a survey to determine to what extent they practiced proactive coping.
Within the next 8 days, the scientists gave the participants a daily checklist of 15 questions, which enabled the team to determine the person’s relative level of mindfulness on that particular day.
Prof. Shevaun Neupert, an author of this study, says: “Interventions targeting daily fluctuations in mindfulness may be especially helpful for those who are high in proactive coping and may be more inclined to think ahead to the future at the expense of remaining in the present.”
