Self-administered mindfulness interventions reduce stress in a large, randomized controlled multi-site study.

Mindfulness witnessed a substantial popularity surge in the past decade, especially as digitally self-administered interventions became available at relatively low costs. Yet, it is uncertain whether they effectively help reduce stress. In a preregistered (OSF https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UF4JZ ; retrospective registration at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06308744 ) multi-site study (nsites = 37, nparticipants = 2,239, 70.4% women, Mage = 22.4, s.d.age = 10.1, all fluent English speakers), we experimentally tested whether four single, standalone mindfulness exercises effectively reduced stress, using Bayesian mixed-effects models. All exercises proved to be more efficacious than the active control. We observed a mean difference of 0.27 (d = -0.56; 95% confidence interval, -0.43 to -0.69) between the control condition (M = 1.95, s.d. = 0.50) and the condition with the largest stress reduction (body scan: M = 1.68, s.d. = 0.46). Our findings suggest that mindfulness may be beneficial for reducing self-reported short-term stress for English speakers from higher-income countries.

Applying Regulatory Focus Theory to Encourage Weight Loss in a Self-directed Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Regulatory focus theory proposes two self-regulatory systems: promotion focus-related to fulfilling aspirations and maximizing positive outcomes-and prevention focus-related to fulfilling responsibilities and avoiding negative outcomes. Building on research demonstrating associations between regulatory focus and weight outcomes, a proof-of-concept weight control intervention framed intervention procedures in terms of promotion or prevention focus and descriptively examined whether the impact of the intervention conditions depended on dispositional regulatory focus. METHODS: After random assignment to control (received pamphlet on diet and physical activity), promotion, or prevention conditions (1.5-hour baseline sessions; detailed manuals; 1-hour sessions at 3 months), community participants from a metropolitan area in the United States (N = 57; age M = 40; BMI M = 30.9) completed the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire and were weighed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Longitudinal analysis was conducted with SAS Proc Mixed using restricted maximum likelihood estimation. RESULTS: Estimated weight change was -2.99 kg, 95% CI [-4.65, -1.32], in the promotion condition, -1.70 kg, 95% CI [-3.29, -0.12], in the prevention condition, and -0.18 kg, 95% CI [-1.42, 1.05], in the control condition. Exploratory analyses revealed that for relatively more promotion-focused participants, estimated weight change was -1.43 kg, 95% CI [-3.38, 0.51], in the promotion condition, +0.48 kg, 95% CI [-1.01, 1.97], in the prevention condition, and -1.09 kg, 95% CI [-2.32, 0.14], in the control condition. For relatively more prevention-focused participants, estimated weight change was -5.19 kg, 95% CI [-7.14, -3.25], in the promotion condition, -3.35 kg, 95% CI [-4.83, -1.86], in the prevention condition, and +0.42 kg, 95% CI [-0.81, 1.65], in the control condition. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that self-directed, promotion-focused interventions may be effective and that tailoring to self-regulatory dispositions may not be of additional benefit in initiating weight loss.

A Multisite Preregistered Paradigmatic Test of the Ego-Depletion Effect.

We conducted a preregistered multilaboratory project (k = 36; N = 3,531) to assess the size and robustness of ego-depletion effects using a novel replication method, termed the paradigmatic replication approach. Each laboratory implemented one of two procedures that was intended to manipulate self-control and tested performance on a subsequent measure of self-control. Confirmatory tests found a nonsignificant result (d = 0.06). Confirmatory Bayesian meta-analyses using an informed-prior hypothesis (δ = 0.30, SD = 0.15) found that the data were 4 times more likely under the null than the alternative hypothesis. Hence, preregistered analyses did not find evidence for a depletion effect. Exploratory analyses on the full sample (i.e., ignoring exclusion criteria) found a statistically significant effect (d = 0.08); Bayesian analyses showed that the data were about equally likely under the null and informed-prior hypotheses. Exploratory moderator tests suggested that the depletion effect was larger for participants who reported more fatigue but was not moderated by trait self-control, willpower beliefs, or action orientation.

Sex differences in disordered eating and food addiction among college students.

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess sex differences and weight status differences in disordered eating behaviors (DEB) and food addiction (FA) along with their co-occurrence among college students. Self-reported demographic and weight information, the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26), and Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) were collected from 965 college students. Participants included 703 (72.8%) female, 720 (74.8%) white, and ranged in age from 18 to 25 years old. Female college students had a significantly higher prevalence of DEB (11.6% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.007, odds ratio (OR) = 2.19) and higher prevalence of FA (12.3% vs. 4.6%, p < 0.0001, OR = 3.04) than male students. The co-occurrence was also significantly higher in female students than in male students (5.4% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.022, OR = 3.03). Male and female obese participants versus healthy weight participants had higher prevalence of DEB (15.1% vs.8.6%, p = 0.047, OR = 1.91) and FA (19.4% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.002, OR = 2.51). Higher prevalence of DEB was positively associated with FA regardless of sex and weight status. The findings indicate higher prevalence of disordered eating in female college students than male students and add to the research on sex differences in food addiction. The co-occurrence of both and association between high prevalence of DEB and FA warrant additional research on the incidence as well as factors that contribute to sex differences. Understanding sex differences and comorbidity regarding DEB and FA is critical for the prevention and treatment of eating related disorders.

Registered Replication Report: Study 1 From Finkel, Rusbult, Kumashiro, & Hannon (2002).

Finkel, Rusbult, Kumashiro, and Hannon (2002, Study 1) demonstrated a causal link between subjective commitment to a relationship and how people responded to hypothetical betrayals of that relationship. Participants primed to think about their commitment to their partner (high commitment) reacted to the betrayals with reduced exit and neglect responses relative to those primed to think about their independence from their partner (low commitment). The priming manipulation did not affect constructive voice and loyalty responses. Although other studies have demonstrated a correlation between subjective commitment and responses to betrayal, this study provides the only experimental evidence that inducing changes to subjective commitment can causally affect forgiveness responses. This Registered Replication Report (RRR) meta-analytically combines the results of 16 new direct replications of the original study, all of which followed a standardized, vetted, and preregistered protocol. The results showed little effect of the priming manipulation on the forgiveness outcome measures, but it also did not observe an effect of priming on subjective commitment, so the manipulation did not work as it had in the original study. We discuss possible explanations for the discrepancy between the findings from this RRR and the original study.

Is Friendship Network Weight Status Associated with One's Own Psychological Well-being? It Depends on One's Own Weight Status.

Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives (e.g., social comparison theory, reward theory, evolutionary theory), the present research examined the relations of self and friendship network weight status to body satisfaction, self-esteem, and depression. A diverse, population-based sample of adolescents completed measures of well-being and were measured for height and weight. Boys had greater self-esteem if their male friendship networks' weight status mismatched, versus matched, their own weight status (d = .23). Conversely, boys had greater body satisfaction if their female friendship networks' weight status matched, versus mismatched, their own weight status (d = .18). For girls, the relations of male and female friendship networks' weight status with well-being did not vary by one's own weight status. Evolutionary theory appears to best explain the observed patter of results, and clinicians may want to consider friends' weight status when dealing with adolescents' body satisfaction issues.

Regulatory Focus, Proximity to Goal Weight, and Weight Loss Maintenance.

OBJECTIVES: Regulatory focus theory proposes 2 self-regulatory orientations: promotion focus - related to achieving aspirations and positive outcomes - and prevention focus - related to fulfilling responsibilities and preventing negative outcomes. The investigation examined whether regulatory focus and proximity to goal weight moderated the effectiveness of a weight-loss maintenance intervention. METHODS: Participants who lost ≥10% of their weight were assigned to guided or self-directed treatments and completed regulatory focus and weight goal measures. RESULTS: Across treatment groups, people who were more promotion-focused had better 2-year maintenance rates (defined as regain <25%) than people who were less promotion-focused, especially if far from their goal weight (.59 versus .44). In the guided group, people who were more prevention-focused had better maintenance rates than people who were less prevention-focused if closer to their goal weight (.69 versus .42), but poorer maintenance rates if farther from their goal (.36 versus .72). In the self-directed group, prevention focus was unrelated to maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: Regulatory focus and proximity to goal weight moderated intervention effectiveness. Maintenance may be enhanced by tailoring treatments to regulatory focus and goal weight (eg, prevention-focused people far from their goals may need extra weight-loss support before focusing on maintenance).

The Associations of Eating-related Attitudinal Balance with Psychological Well-being and Eating Behaviors.

This study used balance theory to illuminate the relations of eating-related attitudinal consistency between self and friends to psychological well-being and eating behaviors. It was hypothesized that attitudinal inconsistency, relative to consistency, would predict lower well-being and poorer eating habits. A population-based sample of 2287 young adults participating in Project EAT-III (Eating Among Teens and Young Adults) completed measures of psychological well-being, eating behaviors, and eating-related attitudes from the standpoint of self and friends. Of participants who cared about healthy eating, those who perceived that their friends did not care about healthy eating had lower well-being and less-healthy eating behaviors (fewer fruits and vegetables and more sugary beverages per day) than those who perceived that their friends cared about healthy eating. Conversely, among participants who did not care about healthy eating, those who perceived that their friends cared about healthy eating had lower well-being and less-healthy eating behaviors (more snacks per day) than those who perceived that their friends did not care about healthy eating. In accord with balance theory, young adults who perceived inconsistent eating attitudes between themselves and their friends had lower psychological well-being and generally less-healthy eating behaviors than people who perceived consistent eating attitudes.

The Effects of Regulatory Focus on Responding to and Avoiding Slips in a Longitudinal Study of Smoking Cessation.

Promotion and prevention focus have been shown to uniquely predict the initiation and maintenance of behavior change, but the behavioral tasks underlying these effects have not been specified. We examined the effects of regulatory focus on how smokers responded to initial slips and whether smokers were able to avoid slips after initial cessation. After slipping, smokers higher versus lower in promotion focus were more likely to quit again, particularly if they were high in self-efficacy. Of participants quit for 2 months, smokers higher versus lower in prevention focus more consistently avoided slips, but only if they were high in self-efficacy. Implications for regulatory focus theory and behavior change theory are discussed.

Lifestyle patterns associated with diet, physical activity, body mass index and amount of recent weight loss in a sample of successful weight losers.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that the interaction between biological susceptibility and environmental risk is complex and that further study of behavioral typologies related to obesity and associated behaviors is important to further elucidate the nature of obesity risk and how to approach it for intervention. The current investigation aims to identify phenotypical lifestyle patterns that might begin to unify our understanding of obesity and obesity related behaviors. METHODS: Individuals who had recently lost substantial weight of their own initiative completed measures of intentional weight control behaviors and lifestyle behaviors associated with eating. These behaviors were factor analyzed and the resulting factors were examined in relation to BMI, recent weight loss, diet, and physical activity. RESULTS: Four meaningful lifestyle and weight control behavioral factors were identified- regularity of meals, TV related viewing and eating, intentional strategies for weight control, and eating away from home. Greater meal regularity was associated with greater recent weight loss and greater fruit and vegetable intake. Greater TV related viewing and eating was associated with greater BMI and greater fat and sugar intake. More eating away from home was related to greater fat and sugar intake, lower fruit and vegetable intake, and less physical activity. Greater use of weight control strategies was most consistently related to better weight, diet, and physical activity outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the individual behavior variables, the identified lifestyle patterns appeared to be more reliably related to diet, physical activity, and weight (both BMI and recent weight loss). These findings add to the growing body of literature identifying behavioral patterns related to obesity and the overall weight control strategy of eating less and exercising more. In future research it will be important to replicate these behavioral factors (over time and in other samples) and to examine how changes in these factors relate to weight loss and weight maintenance over time.

What Makes Users Rate (Share, Tag, Edit )? Predicting Patterns of Participation in Online Communities.

Administrators of online communities face the crucial issue of understanding and developing their user communities. Will new users become committed members? What types of roles are particular individuals most likely to take on? We report on a study that investigates these questions. We administered a survey (based on standard psychological instruments) to nearly 4000 new users of the MovieLens film recommendation community from October 2009 to March 2010 and logged their usage history on MovieLens. We found that general volunteer motivations, pro-social behavioral history, and community-specific motivations predicted both the amount of use and specific types of activities users engaged in after joining the community. These findings have implications for the design and management of online communities.

Getting there and hanging on: the effect of regulatory focus on performance in smoking and weight loss interventions.

OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective was to determine whether individual differences in regulatory focus (Higgins, 1998) would differentially predict the initiation and maintenance of behavioral change. We hypothesized that people high in promotion focus because they eagerly pursue new positive end-states, would be better able to initiate behavioral change, whereas people higher in prevention focus because they tend to be vigilant in avoiding losses as a means to preserve desired end-states, would be better able to maintain change. DESIGN: We examined our hypotheses in longitudinal studies of smoking cessation and weight loss. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Our outcome measures were smoking status and weight. RESULTS: In both interventions, promotion focus, but not prevention focus, predicted successful initiation; people higher in promotion focus had higher quit rates and lost more weight through the first 6 months of follow-up. Of participants who had initial success, prevention focus, but not promotion focus, predicted successful maintenance; people higher in prevention focus were more likely to remain smoke-free and maintain weight loss over the next year. CONCLUSION: A fit between behavioral task and regulatory focus can facilitate the successful performance of meaningful behaviors over time.