Mind-body practices and the self: yoga and meditation do not quiet the ego, but instead boost self-enhancement

Mind-body practices and the self: yoga and meditation do not quiet the ego, but instead boost self-enhancement

Mind-body practices enjoy immense public and scientific interest. Yoga and meditation are highly popular. Purportedly, they foster well-being by “quieting the ego” or, more specifically, curtailing self-enhancement. However, this ego-quieting effect contradicts an apparent psychological universal, the self-centrality principle. According to this principle, practicing any skill renders it self-central, and self-centrality breeds self-enhancement. We examined those opposing predictions in the first tests of mind-body practices’ self-enhancement effects. Experiment 1 followed 93 yoga students over 15 weeks, assessing self-centrality and self-enhancement after yoga practice (yoga condition, n = 246) and without practice (control condition, n = 231). Experiment 2 followed 162 meditators over 4 weeks (meditation condition: n = 246; control condition: n = 245). Self-enhancement was higher in the yoga (Experiment 1) and meditation (Experiment 2) conditions, and those effects were mediated by greater self-centrality. Additionally, greater self-enhancement mediated mind-body practices’ well-being benefits. Evidently, neither yoga nor meditation quiet the ego; instead, they boost self-enhancement.

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Gebauer, Jochen ed37e5ba-19a2-4b6a-963b-a31e4704059e

Nehrlich, A.D. 9d97dfb7-5e43-4427-8a9d-2063b3f641d6

Stahlberg, D. 42be7af2-3ae9-489c-9713-53958a8b62d9

Sedikides, Constantine 9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2

Hackenschmidt, D. cf5bbb6f-6b56-4d13-938e-f330972e1965

Schick, D. bf36bcd5-01c3-4b1a-8099-3f59473320ec

Stegmaie, C.A. 113b56b3-6191-4ce9-a918-2f1876287ef5

Windfelder, C.C. 74fd1f12-615e-4eb7-8328-f7b29e0ffd89

Bruk, A. 867fcb26-c951-4bec-a949-8863fb77ef9c

Mander, J.V. c8f6bc26-d67f-47c9-863b-1cb678187a10

Gebauer, Jochen ed37e5ba-19a2-4b6a-963b-a31e4704059e

Nehrlich, A.D. 9d97dfb7-5e43-4427-8a9d-2063b3f641d6

Stahlberg, D. 42be7af2-3ae9-489c-9713-53958a8b62d9

Sedikides, Constantine 9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2

Hackenschmidt, D. cf5bbb6f-6b56-4d13-938e-f330972e1965

Schick, D. bf36bcd5-01c3-4b1a-8099-3f59473320ec

Stegmaie, C.A. 113b56b3-6191-4ce9-a918-2f1876287ef5

Windfelder, C.C. 74fd1f12-615e-4eb7-8328-f7b29e0ffd89

Bruk, A. 867fcb26-c951-4bec-a949-8863fb77ef9c