Better to be mindful, optimistic, or both? : the interaction between optimism, mindfulness, and task engagement

Bunjak, Aldijana (author), Hafenbrack, Andrew (author), Černe, Matej (author), Arendt, Johannes F. W. (author)

This paper investigates the relationships between optimism, mindfulness, and task engagement. Specifically, we hypothesized that optimism, mindfulness, and their interaction would facilitate individuals’ task engagement. We tested our research model in four studies: two surveys among gig workers and two experiments. The results of the two surveys among gig workers indicated that optimism predicted higher task engagement, but trait mindfulness did not, and that a multiplicative interaction existed between high optimism and high mindfulness in stimulating task engagement. Our two experiments confirmed a significant interaction between optimism and induced state mindfulness and showed that the most engaging situation is being high in both mindfulness and optimism. Although optimism predicted task engagement, the experiments indicated that the effect of the state mindfulness manipulation was above and beyond that of optimism. Finally, we discuss the nuances of the interaction between optimism and mindfulness in predicting task engagement.

• Language: English
• Keywords: organization, human capital, human resource management, mindfulness, optimism, task engagement
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: In print
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135966
• UDC: 331.108
• ISSN on article: 0963-1798
• DOI: 10.1111/joop.12389
• COBISS.SI-ID: 101662723
• Publication date in RUL: 05.04.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of occupational and organizational psychology
• Shortened title: J. occup. organ. psychol.
• Publisher: British Psychological Society, Wiley
• ISSN: 0963-1798
• COBISS.SI-ID: 12995170

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 25.03.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: organizacija, človeški kapital, uporaba človeških zmogljivosti

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: Erasmus Mundus Action 2
• Project number: Project Basileus V Lot 7 Western Balkans

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Ghent University, Belgium
• Project number: 20130836