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Emotion Regulation and Well-Being pp 101–118Cite as

Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, and Well-Being

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Abstract

Mindfulness is defined as a state of open and nonjudgmental attention to phenomena occurring in the present moment. Positive associations between mindfulness and psychological well-being are well-established both in correlational and in intervention studies comparing the effects of mindfulness-based psychological interventions with various control groups. Because emotion regulation (ER) is also related to psychological well-being, the relationship between mindfulness and ER is examined in this review. In addition, the possibility that ER may be mediating the positive effects of mindfulness on well-being is discussed. A review of ­theoretical perspectives on the topic is presented as well as a selective review of existing empirical studies. A new theoretical model (RICH model) of mindfulness effects is presented including direct effects of mindfulness (Relaxation, Insight, Contact, and Harmony) via which mindfulness is argued to exert its beneficial effects on a number of lower-level intermediate factors, including largely nonvolitional ER, finally influencing a person’s psychological well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic disease (CoRPS), Tilburg University, 90153, 5000 LE, Tilburg, Netherlands

    Ivan Nyklíček

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  1. Ivan Nyklíček
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Correspondence to Ivan Nyklíček .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Center of Research on Psychology in Soma, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Ivan Nyklíček

  2. , Department of Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Ad Vingerhoets

  3. Tilburg Institute for Behavioral Economi, Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Marcel Zeelenberg

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Nyklíček, I. (2011). Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, and Well-Being. In: Nyklíček, I., Vingerhoets, A., Zeelenberg, M. (eds) Emotion Regulation and Well-Being. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6953-8_7

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