Abstract
Background: The maintenance of functional independence throughout adulthood and into old age is a central focus of lifespan developmental psychology research. Previous studies have lauded the benefits of mindfulness practices in enhancing an individual’s control beliefs and overall well-being. Control beliefs have also been positively associated with functional health including a good memory in old age. We examined the individual and interactive effects of naturally-occurring mindfulness on both general and domain-specific control beliefs. We also explored the intersection of mindfulness and control beliefs as related to memory performance across adulthood. \r Methodology/Principle Findings: We conducted a national daily diary study including participants from a sample of 83 young, middle-aged, and older adults ages 21 to 94. We collected demographic, dispositional mindfulness, and general control belief data using a self-report baseline questionnaire. Via daily telephone assessments, we measured memory performance using recall and recognition tasks. Participants recorded daily memory control beliefs and daily mindfulness using a seven-day diary protocol. Regardless of age, dispositional mindfulness was positively related to general control beliefs and daily mindfulness was positively associated with daily memory control beliefs. Mindfulness alone did not sufficiently contribute to recall or recognition memory performance. Contrary to predictions, the salutatory effects of dispositional mindfulness in predicting memory performance only applied to individuals with a low sense of general control. \r Conclusion/Significance: The results of this study are encouraging in that the benefits of mindfulness are not limited to deliberate meditative practices or interventions. The naturally-occurring tendency toward engaging in non-judgmental awareness offers similar advantages for maintaining general and domain-specific control throughout adulthood and old age. Our results suggest that interventions designed to improve functional independence throughout adulthood must consider mindfulness in the context of pre-existing control beliefs.