Applied psychology. Health and well-being
August 2026
Takumu Kurosawa, Koichiro Adachi, Ryu Takizawa
This randomized controlled trial compared 4-week self-guided self-compassion meditation (SCM) and mindfulness meditation (MM) apps among workers in two active arms (n = 201); analyses included intervention initiators with session-level data (SCM n = 86; MM n = 85). Primary daily outcomes were pre-session levels and immediate pre-post changes in HR, heart rate variability by RMSSD, and...
Scientific Reports
April 6, 2026
Koichiro Adachi, Takumu Kurosawa, Ryu Takizawa
This study investigated whether gender moderates the effects of online mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on mental health outcomes in non-clinical populations. Specifically, we explored gender-related patterns in emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility. Data were obtained from a randomised controlled trial employing a crossover design in 2022 and 2023. Three hundred Japanese workers...
Journal of Medical Internet Research
February 10, 2026
Takumu Kurosawa, Koichiro Adachi, Ryu Takizawa
Background: Mental health problems among workers are a significant global concern, leading to substantial economic losses, particularly due to presenteeism. While mindfulness and self-compassion practices have shown promise in improving psychological well-being and occupational outcomes, traditional interventions often require a high time commitment. Low-intensity digital interventions remain...
Journal of Medical Internet Research
February 2, 2026
Riko Uwagawa, Koichiro Adachi, Mariko Shimoda et al.
Although working women experience increased work-related stress, preventive interventions to reduce its negative effects on their mental health are insufficient. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness-based self-help intervention via a smartphone app across 4 domains (general psychological, work-related, family-related, and work-to-conflict) among working women. This...
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
August 1, 2025
Koichiro Adachi, Ryu Takizawa
This study aimed to determine whether online-guided mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in daily life improve autonomic nervous system function as measured by the pupillary light reflex (PLR) in healthy subjects. A total of 94 university students were randomly allocated to either an intervention group or a waitlist control group. Participants practiced single-session meditation in a...
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
August 1, 2024
Koichiro Adachi, Ryu Takizawa
Although many neuroimaging studies have evaluated changes in the prefrontal cortex during mindfulness-based interventions, most of these studies were cross-sectional studies of skilled participants or involved pre-post comparisons before and after a single session. While functional near-infrared spectroscopy is a useful tool to capture changes in the hemodynamic response of the prefrontal...
JMIR Research Protocols
July 15, 2024
Takumu Kurosawa, Koichiro Adachi, Ryu Takizawa
6 citations
Mental health problems among workers cause enormous losses to companies in Japan. However, workers have been considered to have limited access to psychological support because of time constraints, which makes it difficult for them to engage in face-to-face psychological support interventions. This study aimed to present an intervention protocol that describes a randomized controlled trial to...