Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.23> Article
Research Article

Mindfulness and Mindlessness in Love

Nicole Zitong CaoNanjing International School*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The study of love is extensive and affects many areas within relationships between individuals. The following paper examines the concepts of mindfulness and mindlessness, as defined by Langerian mindfulness, within the context of love. The objective of this report is to define the differences and similarities between loving mindfully versus mindlessly and evaluate the impact of both types of love within relationships. The process of engaging in mindful love and enhancing the quality of relationships will be explored, as well as how engaging in mindless love results in emotional disengagement, dissatisfaction, and even conflict. The contrast between the healthy effects of mindful love and the detrimental influences of mindless love is ultimately highlighted. Although being mindlessly in love provides the benefit of “ignorance is bliss”, mindful love engages all parties in the relationship, constantly bettering each other for a greater change. Essentially, this research paper emphasizes the significance of mindfulness and mindlessness and highlights their coexistence- not only in love- but also in the aspects of life.

Keywords: mindfulness; mindlessness; love; engaging; relationships
Published: December 20, 2023
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/23/20230787
Volume: CHR Vol.23
pp. 106-110
Download PDF

References

  1. Chapman, H. M. (2011). (rep.). Love: A Biological, Psychological and Philosophical Study (pp. 3–26). South Kingstown, Rhode Island: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
  2. Aron, A., & Aron, E. N. (1986). Love and the expansion of self: understanding attraction and satisfaction. Hemisphere.
  3. Aron, A., Dutton, D. G., Aron, E. N., & Iverson, A. (1989). Experiences of Falling in Love. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 6(3), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407589063001
  4. Sherwood, L. (2006). Fundamentals of physiology: a human perspective. Thomson, Brooks/Cole.
  5. Selhub, E. (2009). The love response. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.
  6. Langer, E. J. (1992). Matters of mind: Mindfulness/mindlessness in perspective. Consciousness and Cognition, 1(3), 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/1053-8100(92)90066-j
  7. Wheeler, M. S., Arnkoff, D. B., & Glass, C. R. (2017). The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Alters the Brain and Facilitates Emotion Regulation. Mindfulness, 8(6), 1471–1487. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0742-x
  8. Luders, E., Cherbuin, N., & Gaser, C. (2016). Estimating brain age using high-resolution pattern recognition: Younger brains in long-term meditation practitioners. NeuroImage, 134, 508–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.04.007
  9. Spanier, G. B. (1976). Measuring Dyadic Adjustment: New Scales for Assessing the Quality of Marriage and Similar Dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.2307/350547
  10. Funk, J. L., & Rogge, R. D. (2007). Testing the ruler with item response theory: Increasing precision of measurement for relationship satisfaction with the Couples Satisfaction Index. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(4), 572–583. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.21.4.572
  11. Locke, H. J., & Wallace, K. M. (1959). Short Marital-Adjustment and Prediction Tests: Their Reliability and Validity. Marriage and Family Living, 21(3), 251. https://doi.org/10.2307/348022
  12. Sternberg, R. J. (1997). The concept of intelligence and its role in lifelong learning and success. American Psychologist, 52(10), 1030–1037. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.52.10.1030
  13. KABAT-ZINN, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: using the wisdom of your body and mind. DELTA.
  14. McGill, J., Adler-Baeder, F., & Rodriguez, P. (2016). Mindfully in Love: A Meta-Analysis of the Association Between Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. https://doi.org/10.54718/ddca4089
  15. Langer, E. J., & Piper, A. I. (1987). The prevention of mindlessness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(2), 280–287. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.53.2.280
  16. Bercovitz, K., Pagnini, F., Phillips, D., & Langer, E. (2017). Utilizing a Creative Task to Assess Langerian Mindfulness. Creativity Research Journal, 29(2), 194–199. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2017.1304080
  17. Brogaard, Berit (2019). Love in Contemporary Psychology and Neuroscience. In Adrienne Martin (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Love in Philosophy. London: Routledge. pp. 465-478.
  18. Ackerman, D. (1994). A natural history of love. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.
  19. Kochendorfer, L. B., & Kerns, K. A. (2017). Perceptions of Parent-Child Attachment Relationships and Friendship Qualities: Predictors of Romantic Relationship Involvement and Quality in Adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(5), 1009–1021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0645-0
  20. Fearon, R. M. P., & Roisman, G. I. (2017). Attachment theory: progress and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 15, 131–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.002
  21. McLeod, W. H. (2009). The A to Z of Sikhism (Vol. 45). Scarecrow Press.
  22. Connolly, J., Friedlander, L., Pepler, D., Craig, W., & Laporte, L. (2010). The Ecology of Adolescent Dating Aggression: Attitudes, Relationships, Media Use, and Socio-Demographic Risk Factors. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 19(5), 469–491. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2010.495028
  23. Lin, Y.-H. W., & Rusbult, C. E. (1995). Commitment to Dating Relationships and Cross-Sex Friendships in America and China. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12(1), 7–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407595121002