Disambiguating the relationship between processing modes and mindfulness in Japan

Repetitive thoughts are divided into constructive (concrete-experiential thought) and unconstructive (abstract-analytical thought) in processing mode theory. While previous studies have highlighted the similarities between concrete-experiential thought and mindfulness, no large-scale empirical study has been conducted to investigate this relationship. We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 1,030 Japanese adults to explore this relationship. We found that abstract-analytic thought had negative correlations with all mindfulness aspects except observation. Conversely, concrete-experiential thought was positively related to the mindfulness aspects of observing, describing, and non-reacting; it was not correlated with non-judging or acting with awareness. Our study suggests that there are similarities between concrete-experiential thoughts and mindfulness: they both focus on the context and specificity of events and experiences, yet harbor some key differences. This implication may contribute to psychological intervention on repetitive thought and mindfulness.