How Hope Beats Mindfulness in Tough Times

A recent study shows that hope appears to be more useful than mindfulness in helping people manage stress and stay professionally engaged during periods of prolonged stress at work. The research underscores the importance of looking ahead, rather than living “in the moment,” during difficult times.

The article “Work-related resilience, engagement, and well-being among music industry workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multiwave model of mindfulness and hope” is published in the diary Stress and health.

Mindfulness refers to the ability of an individual to focus on the present moment in a way that is open, curious, and nonjudgmental. In essence, the ability to be fully present in the moment.

“There’s a lot of talk about the benefits of mindfulness, but it presents two challenges when you’re going through stressful times,” says Tom Zagenczyk, a co-author of a paper on the work and a professor of management at North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management. “First, it’s hard to be mindful when you’re under stress. Second, when it’s a really difficult time, you don’t necessarily want to dwell too much on the experience that you’re going through.”

“Because hope is inherently forward-looking, while mindfulness is about appreciating your current circumstances, we wanted to see how each of these two mindsets affected people’s well-being and professional attitudes during difficult times,” Zagenczyk says. “The COVID pandemic provided an unfortunate, but useful, opportunity to explore this topic. And we chose to focus on the performing arts, as that sector has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.”

For the study, researchers recruited 247 professional musicians from the organization MusiCares to complete two surveys, one month apart. The first survey was administered 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, from March to August 2020. They were also asked questions to capture how hopeful and mindful they felt from September 2020 through March 2021.

The second survey was conducted in October 2021 and asked participants questions about their engagement at work, tensions at work, how positive their emotions were and to what extent they experienced stress.

The researchers then used statistical techniques to identify associations between hope, mindfulness, and outcomes related to their personal well-being and attitudes toward their work.

“Our findings fundamentally tell us that hope was associated with people who were happy, and mindfulness was not,” said Kristin Scott, co-author of the study and a professor of management at Clemson University. “And when people are hopeful — and happy — they experience less stress, they are more engaged in their work, and they feel less tension related to their professional lives.”

“Mindfulness can be incredibly valuable: There are certainly benefits to living in the moment,” said Sharon Sheridan, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of management at Clemson. “But it’s important to maintain a hopeful outlook, particularly during periods of prolonged stress. People need to be hopeful while being mindful: holding on to the idea that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

While the study focused on musicians in extreme conditions, the researchers believe there is a message from the study that is relevant to all sectors of the industry.

“When we have a lot of stress at work, it’s important to be hopeful and forward-thinking,” said Emily Ferrise, co-author of the study and a Ph.D. student at Clemson. “And to the extent possible, it’s valuable for every organization to incorporate hope and forward-thinking into their culture — through workplace practices, organizational communications, etc.”

“Every work sector has periods of high stress,” says Zagenczyk. “And every company should invest in happy employees who are engaged in their work.”