When Mindfulness Backfires After Interpersonal Transgressions

Abstract: This research examines when and why mindfulness facilitates or undermines apology following interpersonal transgressions. Using a measurement-by-mediation design, we manipulated mindfulness (mindfulness vs. mind-wandering) and attentional focus (self-focused vs. other-focused) to investigate their effects on offenders’ willingness to apologize and welfare trade-off ratios (WTRs). Results revealed that the effect of mindfulness on apology was contingent on focus. When individuals were self-focused, mindfulness reduced WTRs, leading offenders to prioritize the victim’s welfare less and, consequently, to become less willing to apologize. In contrast, when individuals were other-focused, mindfulness had no significant effect on WTRs or apologies. Moderated mediation analyses showed that WTRs mediated the relation between mindfulness and apology only under self-focus. Together, these findings challenge the assumption that mindfulness is uniformly reparative and underscore the importance of attentional focus and welfare trade-offs in shaping responses to interpersonal harm.  

Keywords: Mindfulness; Apology; Interpersonal transgressions; Experimental methods