Annals of Behavioral Medicine
January 4, 2025
Elissa S Epel, Brian P Don, Stefanie E Mayer et al.
To cope with chronic stress, which can contribute to depression, humans often pursue arousal-reducing activities. Yet, hormetic stressors (intermittent, acute stressors) might also reduce chronic stress. We compared the effects of arousal-reducing and arousal-enhancing interventions on depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Female adults (N = 141; predominantly White, 63%, and Asian, 34%)...
JAMA Network Open
January 2, 2025
Rachel M Radin, Julie Vacarro, Elena Fromer et al.
11 citations
Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being among employees; however, effects of digital meditation programs are poorly understood. To evaluate the effects of digital meditation vs a waiting list condition on general and work-specific stress and whether greater engagement in the intervention moderates these effects. This randomized clinical trial included a volunteer sample of adults (aged...
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
November 1, 2024
Robin Blades, Wendy Berry Mendes, Brian P Don et al.
Stress is a driver of depression, and people with depression often struggle to cope with stress and anxiety. This study directly compares the mental health effects of a Wim Hof Method intervention to an active control condition (slow breathing) in women with high stress and high depressive symptoms. We randomized 84 healthy midlife women with high stress and high depressive symptoms to either:...
PLoS One
2023
Rachel M Radin, Elissa S Epel, Ashley E Mason et al.
Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being at work; however, effects on food cravings and metabolic health are not well known. We tested effects of digital meditation, alone or in combination with a healthy eating program, on perceived stress, cravings, and adiposity. We randomized 161 participants with overweight and moderate stress to digital meditation ('MED,' n = 38), digital meditation...