Dispositional mindfulness and life satisfaction: The role of core self-evaluations

•Mindfulness predicted life satisfaction.•Mindfulness predicted core self-evaluations.•Core self-evaluations mediated the mindfulness-life satisfaction relationship.

The aim of the present study was to test the model of relationships between dispositional mindfulness, core self-evaluations and life satisfaction in a sample of Chinese adults. Three hundred and ten participants with an age range of 18–50 years completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Core Self-evaluations Scale (CSES) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The results indicated that mindfulness significantly predicted core self-evaluations and life satisfaction. Path analysis supported the full mediating role of core self-evaluations of the link between mindfulness and life satisfaction. Moreover, a multi-group analysis indicated that the paths in the mediation model were not moderated by gender. These findings highlight a previously unidentified mechanism to explain the relationship between mindfulness and life satisfaction. Implications for future research and limitations of the present findings are discussed.