Cultivating ambiguity tolerance through mindfulness: An induction randomized controlled trial

Facing ambiguity is ubiquitous and perhaps more apparent as the world faces economic, health, and social crises. Ambiguity tolerance (AT) reflects one's ability to manage novel, complex, and insoluble situations and has important implications on learning, intrapersonal behaviour, and decision making. While AT can increase passively over time, there is some research pointing to mindfulness as a method for cultivating AT. Both forms of Western mindfulness (meditative and Langer) positively correlate with AT; however, no study has explored the direct impact of mindfulness induction. 165 undergraduate participants completed baseline measures of AT, trait meditative (MM) and Langer mindfulness (LM), and self-compassion (SC). Participants were randomly assigned to a condition (meditative, Langer, or mind-wandering control) and responded to measures of AT. Measures of state mindfulness were taken pre-post induction to confirm manipulation success and participants provided feedback on the induction tasks. Regression analyses revealed nonreactivity to inner experience (facet of MM), LM, and SC are significantly associated with AT. However, only nonreactivity adds significantly to the variation in AT beyond what is attributable to LM. Repeated measure ANOVAs confirmed state MM and LM were elevated post-induction compared to the control. However, state mindfulness remained enhanced at the experiment's end only for MM and not LM. Participants also reported finding the LM task more difficult than MM but noted greater focus and ability to follow task instructions. No significant effect of induction was found on AT. Future studies could examine how a combination of MM and LM interventions might enhance AT.