The perplexing roles of mindfulness on greed and mindful consumption

Mindfulness could be an effective strategy for transforming an individual’s values and ethical principles regarding consumption, yet evidence on the immediate effects of mindfulness is currently lacking. This study investigated the effects of trait and state-induced mindfulness on greed and mindful consumption. Undergraduate students in Indonesia (N total = 169; M age = 19.59, SD = 0.73; 79.3% women) provided pre-induction measures of trait mindfulness, greed, and mindful consumption. One month later, participants were randomly assigned to receive either a 15-minute audio instruction for mindfulness induction (n = 85) or a control body-scan relaxation (n = 84). Self-reported state mindfulness (i.e., curiosity and decentering) was assessed before and after the audio instructions, followed by post-induction measures of greed and mindful consumption. Our findings reveal that: (i) trait mindfulness was associated with reduced greed, while state mindfulness was linked to increased mindful consumption, (ii) mindfulness induction had no direct effect on greed and mindful consumption, (iii) the increase in post-induction mindful consumption was solely predicted by curiosity. While mindfulness in daily life correlates with less greed, mindfulness in consumer decision-making necessitates the deliberate activation of state curiosity.