Inoculating the Public Against Misinformation about Mindfulness

Misinformation about mindfulness is increasingly common, misleading consumers to engage in ineffective or potentially harmful programs. Inoculation theory suggests that resistance to misinformation can be fostered by inducing a sense of threat and offering pre-emptive refutations of deceptive techniques. Yet, its application to mindfulness misinformation remains unexplored. Here, we evaluate three video-based inoculation interventions targeting two common manipulation techniques in mindfulness marketing: inflated benefit claims and emotional manipulation. In Study 1 (N = 554), participants who viewed a video containing both manipulation techniques rated a misleading mindfulness program advertisement as significantly less reliable than participants who watched a control video. In Study 2 (N = 590), inoculated participants were less likely than controls to say they would participate in a mindfulness program advertised with misinformation. These findings support inoculation as a promising tool to build resistance to mindfulness misinformation and encourage research into its role in improving consumer health-related decision-making.