Opening Windows: Effects of an App-Based Mindfulness Intervention on Perfectionistic Concerns and Cross-Domain Functioning

Research supports the value and feasibility of mindfulness trainings in organizations. However, more insight is needed into the mechanisms that drive its benefits. Based on the potential of mindfulness to de-automatize employees' thinking, we tested whether mindfulness decreases perfectionistic concerns as perseverative cognitions that prolong stress-related activation. We hypothesized that reducing these concerns would alleviate tension and procrastination, and improve psychological detachment and sleep quality as different aspects of employee functioning. Data from 181 employees (75% female) in a randomized wait-list control group design were analyzed. Compared to the wait-list control group (n = 87), the intervention group (n = 94) reported significant increases in mindfulness and decreased perfectionistic concerns after completing a brief (2 weeks) and low-dose (10 units, 9-15 min each) app-based mindfulness intervention. Path analysis revealed that the intervention improved employee functioning via lowering perfectionistic concerns, highlighting mindfulness as a metacognitive state facilitating the modulation of perfectionistic concerns toward enhanced cognitive flexibility. Our findings are encouraging, suggesting positive intervention effects on perfectionistic concerns that initiate a downstream effect with a small but regular time investment. We discuss how mindfulness opens a window of opportunity to modulate perseverative cognitions and the potential integration of app-based mindfulness interventions into comprehensive occupational health programs.