PURPOSE
To help create a world that supports personal and social well-being.
MISSION
To understand how human consciousness can support well-being, through science that is a carefully considered, rigorously conducted, and impactful.
To train the next generation of psychological scientists.
To embody presence, kindness, and wisdom in how we work together.
About MY Research
I investigate the role of attention to support mental health, positive social relations, and societal welfare. I use state-of-the-science technologies to examine neural, subjective, and behavioral outcomes of attention training, particularly that which is centered on the cultivation of mindfulness, to support health and wellbeing.
Publications
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Handbook of mindfulness: Theory, research, and practice, 2e
Brown, K.W., Creswell, J.D., & Ryan, R.M. (Eds.), New York: Guilford. (coming April 2025).
Pattern Theory of Selflessness: How meditation may transform the self-pattern [pdf]
Berkovich-Ohana, A., Brown, K.W., Gallagher, S., Barendregt, H., Bauer, P., Giommi, F., Nyklíček, I., Ostafin, B., Raffone, A., Slagter, H.A., Trautwein, F-M., Vago, D., & Amaro, A. (2024). Mindfulness, 15, 795-803.
Examining emotion reactivity to politically polarizing media in a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness training versus active coping training
Rahrig, H., Beloboradova, P., Castro, C., Sabet, K., Johnson, M., Pearce, O., & Brown, K.W. Scientific Reports. (in press).
latest news
Here to stay: 6 tips to make your New Year’s resolutions stick
An article describes our new theoretical framework, published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, “that places awareness at the forefront of goal setting and behaviour change.”
This one thing makes you a nicer person
An article describing our research, published in Journal of Experimental Psychology - General, showing that "...mindfulness training inspired people to be kinder and more empathetic to a stranger who had been ostracized during a simulated online scenario."
White people trained in mindfulness were three times more likely to help Black people in staged scenarios
An article describing our research, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, showing that “…even a small dose of mindfulness … can promote helping behavior in everyday life.”
Contact
Kirk Warren Brown
Department of Psychology
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Av.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
P 804-687-9235
kwbrown at andrew.cmu.edu
Image Credits
Brain icon by Turkkub, hand icon by alvianwijaya, and rocket icon by Creative Mahira, all from the Noun Project.
Stone compass by Martin Fische.
Diffusion Tensor Image by Psinergia.