This study examined whether a brief mindfulness meditation could increase self-regulation of health behaviors by reducing food intake after ego depletion. Sixty-three participants completed questionnaires, an ego depletion or control task, then mindfulness meditation or a control audio. Blood glucose and food choice were measured. Those in the depletion only condition ate more cookies than the control or depletion+mindfulness groups. Trait mindfulness correlated with less eating based on mood. While blood glucose did not mediate the relationship, further investigation is warranted. The findings suggest mindfulness may help self-regulate eating after ego depletion.

1. Mindfulness, Self-regulatory Capacity, and Regulation of Health Behaviors
Elizabeth C. McCrary1
& Whitney L. Heppner, PhD2
1
Western Kentucky University, 2
Georgia College & State University
Mindfulness, the trait or state of heightened awareness and attention to the present moment, has been connected
to a wide variety of self-regulatory behaviors, including health behaviors. Specifically, mindfulness has been linked to smoking cessation
(Heppner et al., 2014), reduced alcohol misuse (Murphy & MacKillop, 2011), and reduced substance abuse (Witkiewitz & Bowen, 2010).
Additionally, mindfulness-based dialectical behavior therapy has been successful in teaching affect regulation skills to patients with binge
eating disorder (Kristeller, Baer, & Quillian-Wolever, 2006). Even though research links mindfulness to increased health behaviors,
specific mechanisms by which mindfulness mediates self-regulation of health behaviors have yet to be empirically clarified. Gaillot et al.
(2007) found blood glucose level to be a valid index of self-regulatory capacity; glucose levels fell when participants performed self-
control tasks, and depleted glucose levels additionally impaired subsequent tasks requiring self-control. Thus, the current study proposes
that a short mindfulness meditation task will increase self-regulation of health behaviors, mediated by blood glucose levels.
Method
Introduction
 Demographics
 State Mindfulness Scale
 Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
 Action Identification Questionnaire
and their blood glucose level was assessed.
Participants (N = 63, 88.9% female, 87.3%
Caucasian, Mage = 19.6)
answered a series of questionnaires:
Participants were given an ego
depletion task:
 Crossing-out letters
or a control task that was not depleting.
Participants followed a guided
mindfulness meditation
or listened to a
control audio clip.
All participants’ b.g. levels
were measured a second time.
Participants were offered snacks since
we asked them to fast prior to the
study.
They could choose a healthful
option
or a less healthful option.
Participants completed additional questionnaires:
 Brief Mood Introspection Scale
 Global/Local Processing Task
 Vitality Scale
 Eating behavior items (created by researchers)
Our primary finding – that participant condition affected number of cookies eaten in
the laboratory – is interesting for two reasons: First, it supports our prediction that inducing a
mindfully meditative state helped participants make a more healthful decision by abstaining from a
tempting alternative: chocolate chip cookies. Second, we saw that the participants who
experienced mindfulness meditation did not significantly differ from the control group in number
of cookies eaten. This means that mindfulness is so effective in helping participants self-regulate
their eating that it was as if they had not undergone ego depletion.
Though we did not find that blood glucose level mediates this relationship between
mindfulness and eating behavior, blood glucose warrants further investigation in a larger sample;
in the current study, with its small sample, individual differences in how blood glucose is
processed may be a factor. A follow-up study is also being conducted to further explore how
construal of health plays a role in this relationship.
Results
Discussion
A one-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect of condition on the number of
cookies eaten, F (2,59) = 3.2, p < .05. Post-hoc analyses determined those in condition 2
(depletion plus no mindfulness induction) differed significantly from condition 1 (control)
and condition 3 (depletion plus mindfulness meditation). Rice cake consumption was not
significantly different across groups. See Figure 1 above.
Figure 1. Cookies and Rice Cakes Eaten Across Conditions.
Healthful Decisions
Changes from pre to post measures of blood glucose levels did not mediate
the relationship between mindfulness and eating behavior, b = -.01, 95% CI [-.19, .05].
Trait and State Mindfulness
Participant survey data revealed participants scoring high in levels of trait
mindfulness were less likely to eat based on mood, e.g., overeating when upset, r = -.341,
p = .007. State mindfulness was not revealed as a mediator between mindfulness and eating
bahavior, b = .05, 95% CI [-.06, .30].
Mediating Role of Blood Glucose
* *
Acknowledgements: This work was funded in part by a Faculty Research Grant from Georgia College
awarded to the second author. Thank you to Danielle Davis, Caleb Gay, Kaitlin Pelech, and Sierra
Watkins who assisted with data collection.