Why Mindfulness is Only Temporary
The fundamental flaw in mindfulness practices in general and commodified mindfulness especially lies in the misperception that mindfulness practices effectively focus on sensory information (observations) as individuals experience each input. To be clear, observations are any form of perceived sensory information (five senses, memories, visualizations, etc.). Critical thinking analysis examines why the mindfulness driven "in the moment" approach cannot address the continuous movement of sensory information. A 2024 study published in the science journal Neuron estimates the human brain only processes 10bits/s of sensory information that is being collected at 109 bits/s.[1]
Emotional Response Timing (ERT) research has illustrated the ineffectiveness of mindfulness practices.
- emotional response from point of observation: 40-140ms[2]
- mindfulness awareness emerges: ≥200-240ms[3]
- the gap between emotional response and awareness: ≥60ms before any mindfulness action is possible
Consider those data in the context that we’re discussing only one observation. But observations are “many-to-one”—numerous observations are present at any time to each individual observer. Mindfulness attention is not in play until well after the emotion energy has already influenced the unified consciousness field.
