Mindful Meditation Might Be Counterproductive to Achieving Professional Goals

Some of the world’s largest, most successful companies like Nike and Google have embraced meditation practice for their employees, using it as a means to reduce turnover and absenteeism while boosting the bottom line. However, a new study has shown that mindful meditation, a popular style that emphasizes being present and aware in the moment, might not be the best way to increase workplace focus and motivation. “Meditation is about accepting the present, which is the opposite to being motivated to do something where the present moment isn’t acceptable, so meditation is inconsistent with being motivated to achieving a goal,” says Kathleen Vohs, professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota and co-author of the study. Vohs and her co-author Andrew Hafenbrack found that self-reported motivation levels of those who practiced mindful meditation were significantly lower than the control group that had not. Meditators had fewer thoughts about the future, as well, which researchers said could interrupt the processes involved in achieving goals. “The Western world, Americans in particular, loves a panacea,” she says. "To think the antidote to what ails you is to 'just be' is probably a welcome message, but it’s pure speculation.”