Mindfulness over Matter: Boosting Thoughtful Information Consumption in an Era of Misinformation

• In Event: Information and Democracy

Abstract

Can mindfulness change how people interact with misinformation? In a nationally-representative study, we find a short mindfulness exercise improves fact-checking online. Fact-checking mediates greater story skepticism and lower intent to share questionable stories. In a second study we find similar improvements in fact checking and test mechanisms. Effects are strongest for true stories, where treatment increases confidence in the truth. In testing mechanisms, we find that mindfulness works via increased attention rather than affective mechanisms or stress reduction. When given both the mindfulness treatment and fact-checking links, participants spent an average 4.5 minutes longer with information -- more than four times the benefit of providing fact-checking links alone. These findings underscore how one's state of mind prior to viewing (mis)information matters as much if not more than the tools provided synchronously with online information to promote healthy information consumption.

Authors

• Melissa Baker, University of Texas at El Paso

• Elaine K. Denny, University of California, Merced