A recent study finds that hope appears to be more beneficial than mindfulness at helping people manage stress and stay professionally engaged during periods of prolonged stress at work. The study underscores the importance of looking ahead, rather than living \u201cin the moment,\u201d during hard times.<\/p>\n
Mindfulness refers to the ability of an individual to focus attention on the present, in a way that is open, curious and not judgmental. Essentially, the ability to be fully in the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of discussion about the benefits of mindfulness, but it poses two challenges when you\u2019re going through periods of stress,\u201d says Tom Zagenczyk, co-author of a paper on the work and a professor of management in North Carolina State University\u2019s Poole College of Management. \u201cFirst, it\u2019s hard to be mindful when you\u2019re experiencing stress. Second, if it\u2019s a truly difficult time, you don\u2019t necessarily want to dwell too much on the experience you\u2019re going through.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause hope is inherently forward looking, while mindfulness is about appreciating your current circumstances, we wanted to see how each of these two mindsets influenced people\u2019s well-being and professional attitudes during difficult times,\u201d Zagenczyk says. \u201cThe COVID pandemic presented us with an unfortunate, but useful, opportunity to explore this topic. And we chose to focus on the performing arts since that sector was particularly hard hit by the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the study, researchers recruited 247 professional musicians from the organization MusiCares to take two surveys, one month apart. The first survey was given in September 2021. In addition to collecting broad demographic data, study participants were asked about their thoughts and experiences at the beginning of the pandemic \u2013 March to August 2020. They were also asked questions aimed at capturing how hopeful and mindful they were from September 2020 through March 2021.<\/p>\n
The second survey was given in October 2021 and asked study participants questions aimed at capturing work engagement, work tensions, how positive their emotions were, and the extent to which they were experiencing distress.<\/p>\n
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The researchers then used statistical techniques to identify relationships between hope, mindfulness, and outcomes related to their personal well-being and attitudes toward work.<\/p>\n
\u201cFundamentally, our findings tell us that hope was associated with people being happy, and mindfulness was not,\u201d says Kristin Scott, study co-author and a professor of management at Clemson University. \u201cAnd when people are hopeful \u2013 and happy \u2013 they experience less distress, are more engaged with their work, and feel less tension related to their professional lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing mindful can be tremendously valuable \u2013 there are certainly advantages to living in the moment,\u201d says Sharon Sheridan, study co-author and an assistant professor of management at Clemson. \u201cBut it\u2019s important to maintain a hopeful outlook \u2013 particularly during periods of prolonged stress. People should be hopeful while being mindful \u2013 hold on to the idea that there\u2019s a light at the end of the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the study focused on musicians during an extreme set of circumstances, the researchers think there is a takeaway message that is relevant across industry sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever we have high levels of job stress, it\u2019s important to be hopeful and forward looking,\u201d says Emily Ferrise, study co-author and a Ph.D. student at Clemson. \u201cAnd to the extent possible, there is real value for any organization to incorporate hope and forward thinking into their corporate culture \u2013 through job conditions, organizational communications, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery work sector experiences periods of high stress,\u201d says Zagenczyk. \u201cAnd every company should be invested in having happy employees who are engaged with their work.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Photo by Yelena Odintsova<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reference:\u00a0<\/b>Scott KL, Ferrise E, Sheridan S, Zagenczyk TJ. Work-related resilience, engagement and wellbeing among music industry workers during the Covid-19 pandemic: A multiwave model of mindfulness and hope.\u00a0Stress and Health<\/i>. 2024:e3466. doi:\u00a010.1002\/smi.3466<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n