Mindfulness and the Neuroscience of Influence

The concept of mindfulness as present-oriented awareness, coupled with flexibility in thinking and creating new categories (Langer, 1989), has been directly applied to problems ranging from conceptualizing and promoting creativity to reducing prejudice to improving health and longevity (Alexander, Langer, Newman, Chandler, & Davies, 1989; Langer, 1989, 2009; Langer, Bashner, & Chanowitz, 1985; Langer & Imber, 1980). From an academic standpoint, the basic tenets of mindlessness versus mindfulness recur throughout social psychology. These ideas form a theoretical basis for models explaining a range of human behaviors, whether directly referred to in these terms or not. Indeed, this conceptualization of mindfulness and Eastern-inspired forms of mindfulness have been highly influential in elucidating the overlap and connection between mind and body, and in promoting health and well-being. Given the powerful effects of mindfulness on health, a growing body of literature has examined biological correlates of mindfulness practice. For example, neuroscientists have begun to uncover structural and functional correlates of Eastern-inspired forms of mindfulness in the brain. Although relatively little work has specifically examined the neural correlates of Langer’s mindfulness (present-oriented awareness, coupled with flexibility in thinking and creating new categories), in the current chapter, I argue that doing so will shed light on important social neuroscience questions. First, extending current research beyond Eastern-inspired forms of mindfulness and related concepts such as mindfulness meditation to also understand the neural bases and effects of Langer’s social-cognitive mindfulness can help clarify common and distinct mechanisms associated with each. Second, understanding these neural underpinnings may shed light on common and distinct pathways leading to the cognitive and health benefits of each form of mindfulness. Third, this type of work will facilitate more efficient