Mindfulness meditation can improve your self-control, working memory, and mental flexibility. But it can also “improve” selfishness, according to associate psychology professor Michael Poulin.

In his study, he explained how independent people stick to their personal beliefs; for example, they describe themselves as intelligent and have a great sense of humor. Meanwhile, dependent people focus more on their relationships. They usually introduce themselves as the “daughter” or “father” of someone. Poulin also discovered in his meditation test that people’s attitudes had a big impact on the results. Independent people are more self-centered, while those who are dependent are more likely to volunteer for charity purposes. Ronald Pursers’ 2019 book “McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality” explained how ancient meditation techniques got separated from the original Buddhist teachings. Instead of awareness, mindfulness has become a means for practicing selfishness.

Now that technology is quickly developing, changing our mental function may accidentally bring harmful effects. It’s time to be mindful of how we show mindfulness.