Preliminary Evidence for Changes in Functional Connectivity Associated with Emotional Awareness after Mobile-Based Mindfulness Meditation
Yonsei Medical Journal December 17, 2025 Minjung Kim, Jungeun You, Goeun Seong et al.
After eight weeks of daily mindfulness meditation practiced through a mobile application (about 24 minutes per day), 21 adults reported increased mindfulness and decreased difficulties with emotion regulation. Functional MRI scans showed no significant task-based brain changes, but resting-state scans revealed increased connectivity between the right posterior insula and the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), and decreased connectivity between default mode network regions and occipital areas. The decrease in connectivity between the VMPFC and the cuneus correlated with improved emotional awareness. These findings suggest mobile-based mindfulness may alter functional brain networks related to emotion regulation, warranting further research.