Study finds that self-administered mindfulness meditation reduces stress

A recent study published in the journal Nature Human ActionA large international team of researchers conducted studies in multiple locations to survey a range of mindfulness practitioners and determine what types of self-administered mindfulness meditation interventions effectively reduce stress and what the boundary conditions and effects of selected mindfulness meditation exercises are.

Study: A large randomized, controlled, multi-center study found that a self-administered mindfulness intervention reduced stress. Image credit: fizkes / Shutterstock

background

One type of meditation intervention for stress reduction that has grown in popularity in recent years due to its affordability and simplicity is self-administered mindfulness meditation. The ease of access to these interventions through guided videos and audios, smartphone applications, computer programs, and self-help books makes them more appealing than professionally administered interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction programs.

Mindfulness meditation is the process of focusing on the present by being aware of bodily sensations, breathing, emotions, and thoughts. It can be done by yourself and does not require complicated equipment, environment, or posture. However, despite being practiced by millions of users, the effectiveness of self-administered mindfulness meditation in reducing stress remains controversial. Moreover, with the large number of available exercises, the question of which intervention types are effective in reducing stress remains unclear.

About the Research

In this study, the researchers first aimed to understand what interventions are truly effective and which of the many self-administered mindfulness meditation interventions are suitable for lowering stress levels. To find answers to these questions, the researchers surveyed practitioners of different types of mindfulness meditation interventions.

Based on survey responses, the researchers selected four self-administered mindfulness meditation exercises and designed a highly powered, multi-site study to determine the boundary conditions and effects of these four exercises.

As part of the study, the researchers asked mindfulness practitioners to recommend the most widely used and well-known exercises in their field of practice. The lists of popular exercises recommended by practitioners were cross-referenced with a published list of popular self-administered mindfulness meditation exercises.

After cross-referencing, four mindfulness meditation exercises were selected: mindful walking, mindful breathing, loving-kindness meditation, and body scan. As the names suggest, mindful breathing involves focusing on your breathing, while mindful walking involves walking indoors or in a quiet place free of distractions while paying attention to instructions.

In the body scan, the trainer invites the participant to notice and scan different parts of the body, bringing their attention and awareness back to scanning each part of the body whenever the participant’s mind wanders from the process. The loving-kindness meditation process invites participants to experience feelings of loving-kindness towards themselves and others.

In the study, participants in the mindfulness condition listened to instructions from a trainer, while in the control condition they listened to excerpts from three popular books. All excerpts were written in standard English and did not contain any passages with major plot changes that would evoke strong emotions in the listeners.

A variety of standardized scales were used to measure the dimensions of neuroticism, stress, and emotion. The researchers also investigated whether these effects of mindfulness meditation were moderated by participants’ English proficiency and level of neuroticism.

result

The results showed that practicing mindfulness meditation could help reduce stress levels among English-speaking adults living in high-income countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK, the US and Europe.

Compared to a control condition, four mindfulness exercises – mindful walking, mindful breathing, loving-kindness meditation, and body scan – were found to be effective in lowering participants’ stress levels.

The study also showed that brief mindfulness meditation exercises are effective in stressful situations that require short-term stress management solutions, such as road rage or an impending stressful exam. Furthermore, the ability to use short-term stress management tools such as these brief mindfulness exercises does not negate the understanding that long-term positive results can only be achieved through long-term practice.

For those who are hesitant to commit to a long-term mindfulness meditation practice due to issues of motivation, ability, or time, learning how to reduce stress through shorter mindfulness meditation practices can be a useful skill.

Conclusion

Overall, this study found that four types of mindfulness meditation (mindful walking, mindful breathing, loving-kindness meditation, and body scan) were highly effective in reducing stress levels in the short term among English-speaking adults living in high-income countries. Further research is needed to determine whether these results can be generalized to other socio-economic demographic groups.

Does mindfulness reduce stress?
A large randomized controlled trial showed that all four exercises tested (body scan, mindful breathing, mindful walking, and loving-kindness) reduced participants’ self-reported stress https://t.co/lHNNkccIYlNature

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) June 11, 2024