A meta-analysis of trait mindfulness: Relationships with the big five personality traits, intelligence, and anxiety

The purpose of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the correlates of trait mindfulness-the tendency to pay attention to the present moment, in a non-judgmental manner-with other individual differences to establish construct validity. We update and expand previous meta-analyses of trait mindfulness with Big Five personality and anxiety with larger samples, unique relationships with broad measures of intelligence, novel moderators, and relative weights analysis. In total, 73,752 participants' data distributed amongst 280 effects were analyzed. Results revealed significant correlations between mindfulness and all personality variables examined, with the strongest effects for neuroticism (rho = -0.53), trait anxiety (rho = -0.50), and conscientiousness (rho = 0.42), but no significant relationship with intelligence. Altogether, Big Five variables explained 44 % of the variance in trait mindfulness, with neuroticism and conscientiousness demonstrating the strongest influence. These results identify mindfulness as a unique, non-cognitive trait. Moderation analyses revealed negligible effects of sample characteristics (sex, race, age, student status). The scale used to measure mindfulness had a limited influence as well, moderating the correlation between mindfulness and openness alone. Overall, these results provide a clearer picture of the personality profile of mindful individuals and inform meaningful conceptual differences between these constructs.