Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
December 1, 2018
Emily K. Lindsay, Brian Chin, Carol M. Greco et al.
221 citations
Mindfulness interventions that train both monitoring of present-moment experiences and an accepting orientation toward them (Monitor + Accept) boost positive emotions in daily life, while training monitoring alone does not. Across two randomized controlled trials with stressed community adults, those who received Monitor + Accept training reported greater positive affect after the intervention compared with those who received monitoring-only training or no treatment. The effect appeared in end-of-day positive affect in an 8-week group-based study and in both end-of-day and momentary positive affect in a 2-week smartphone-based study. All active interventions reduced negative affect. Acceptance skills are a central mechanism for increasing positive emotions through mindfulness.
PLoS One
July 11, 2019
Daniella K. Villalba, Emily K. Lindsay, Anna L. Marsland et al.
59 citations
Two randomized controlled trials tested whether mindfulness training reduces inflammation, measured by C-Reactive Protein (CRP), in stressed community adults. One trial used a 2-week smartphone-based intervention; the other used an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. Training that combined attention monitoring with acceptance skills did not lower CRP compared to training without acceptance or to a control condition. Exploratory analyses combining data from both studies suggested that either mindfulness approach might reduce CRP in midlife-to-older adults and individuals with high body mass index, populations at risk for systemic inflammation.
Mindfulness
April 10, 2023
Malcolm Wright, Joseph L. Sanguinetti, Shinzen Young et al.
41 citations
Incongruities between meditator self-reports and objective measurements (e.g., of brain states) hamper research into meditation-related emergent phenomenology. Key theories from Buddhist contemplative traditions are translated into scientific terms and systematized as a functionalist model of the mind—the Thin Model—which demonstrates immediate explanatory power. The model's nested nature allows explanations to be restricted to specific problems, connecting complex higher-level phenomena like self-reports to lower-level phenomena like brain states without requiring simplistic assumptions. A detailed demonstration shows how the model converts subjective accounts of ecstatic meditative states (jhānas) into testable neuroscientific hypotheses. The Thin Model offers an organizing principle for explanations of mental phenomena and may be relevant to other fields.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
January 1, 2024
Brian Lord, Joseph L. Sanguinetti, Lisannette Ruiz et al.
28 citations
Transcranial focused ultrasound (TFUS) aimed at the posterior cingulate cortex reduces functional connectivity along the midline of the default mode network (DMN) in healthy people. In a randomized, single-blind trial with 30 participants, those receiving active TFUS showed significant connectivity decreases and reported increased state mindfulness, reduced vigor, and temporary changes in sense of self, time, and memory recall. The sham group also showed increased mindfulness but no other subjective effects. TFUS can alter DMN connectivity and subjective experience, suggesting it may serve as a research tool and potential therapeutic intervention.
Emotion
November 21, 2024
Emily K. Lindsay, Shinzen Young, J. David Creswell
9 citations
Mindfulness training, especially acceptance training, can broaden awareness to include more positive affective experiences. This has important implications for understanding coping and affect dynamics following mindfulness interventions.
January 31, 2024
Joshua Cain, Tracy Brandmeyer, Ninette Simonian et al.
9 citations
preprint
Focused ultrasound stimulation of the caudate nucleus significantly improves self-reported meditative depth and mood in experienced vipassana meditators, and is accompanied by reduced heart rate and increased heart rate variability. These physiological changes strongly correlate with reported depth, suggesting a mechanistic link between reduced arousal and successful meditation. Stimulation of the posterior cingulate cortex or insula did not produce similar effects. The findings indicate that targeted neuromodulation may help lower the barrier to consistent meditation practice for novice or intermediate meditators.
August 21, 2018
Emily K. Lindsay, Brian Chin, Carol M. Greco et al.
9 citations
Training in both monitoring present-moment experiences and accepting them boosts positive emotions more than monitoring alone. In two randomized trials with stressed community adults, a mindfulness intervention that taught monitoring plus acceptance skills increased daily positive affect, while a structurally equivalent intervention teaching only monitoring did not. The acceptance-focused intervention raised end-of-day positive affect in an 8-week group-based study and both end-of-day and momentary positive affect in a 2-week smartphone-based study. All active interventions reduced negative affect. These results indicate that cultivating acceptance toward present-moment experiences is a key mechanism through which mindfulness interventions enhance positive emotions in everyday life.
September 28, 2017
Emily K. Lindsay, Shinzen Young, Joshua M. Smyth et al.
9 citations
preprint
Training in both monitoring present-moment experience and accepting it reduces biological stress reactivity, whereas monitoring alone does not. In a randomized trial, 153 stressed adults completed one of three 15-lesson smartphone-based trainings: Monitor+Accept, Monitor Only, or an active Coping control. After training, a social stress test showed that Monitor+Accept training lowered cortisol and systolic blood pressure reactivity compared to the other two conditions. Subjective stress levels were moderate across all groups. The findings indicate that acceptance is a key mechanism driving mindfulness-related stress reduction effects on biology.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging
April 1, 2025
Brian Lord, John J B Allen, Shinzen Young et al.
4 citations
Mindfulness benefits mental health and cognition through a combination of top-down attention and bottom-up emotional processes, with equanimity—the ability to maintain an open, nonreactive attitude toward all experiences—driving many of these benefits. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can alter neural circuits involved in mindfulness, but most studies have focused on cognitive control rather than equanimity. Preliminary findings using focused ultrasound on the posterior cingulate cortex suggest NIBS can directly facilitate equanimity by inhibiting self-referential processing in the default mode network, promoting a more present-centered state. Future research should integrate NIBS with mindfulness training, targeting equanimity to advance contemplative neuroscience and develop individualized wellness interventions.
October 8, 2025
Sebastian Ehmann, Brian Lord, Erica Cook et al.
preprint
Inhibiting the posterior cingulate cortex with transcranial focused ultrasound during a ten-day silent retreat enhanced meditative qualities such as equanimity, concentration, and sensory clarity. Twenty-eight meditators received two stimulation sessions and reported significant increases in trait mindfulness, nondual awareness, and interoceptive body listening. Qualitative reports showed consistent differences between stimulation and non-stimulation days, including shifts in self-perception and cathartic emotional release. The effects often interacted with participants' ongoing psychological challenges, suggesting tFUS may increase baseline equanimity and support meditative development. Implementation was feasible but required logistical planning; limitations include the quasi-experimental design and reliance on self-reports.