Mindfulness in Simulated Space Missions: Enhancing Job Satisfaction, Coping with Stress, and Balancing Emotions

The general aim of this study was to examine whether trait mindfulness can facilitate cognitive-affective experiences of people functioning in extreme environments, i.e., analog space habitats. Specifically, we verified the relationships of dispositional mindfulness with job satisfaction, stress, positive and negative emotions, and general emotional positivity. A sample of 88 analog astronauts (43 men and 45 women) from 16 missions was enrolled in the study. Participants were asked to fill in online versions of the questionnaires regarding the variables of interest. The research protocol was designed to gauge trait mindfulness once before the beginning of the mission, while job satisfaction, stress, positive and negative emotions, and general emotional positivity were measured daily for 12 days during the mission. Results of the hierarchical linear modeling supported all hypotheses and demonstrated that trait mindfulness was positively related to job satisfaction (beta = 0.20 [0.08, 0.32], p < 0.001), the intensity of positive emotions (0.31 [0.19, 0.42], p < 0.001), and the positivity of emotions (0.25 [0.16, 0.34], p < 0.001). Simultaneously, the disposition was in a negative relationship with stress (− 0.29 [− 0.42, − 0.17], p < 0.001) and the intensity of negative emotions (− 0.21 [− 0.30, − 0.12], p < 0.001). The results are discussed in light of previous findings and presented with implications for future research and practice. This study is not preregistered.