A one-month mindfulness meditation program and a somatic relaxation training both reduced psychological distress and improved positive mood in 83 distressed students, compared with a no-treatment control group. The two active interventions produced similarly large reductions in distress, but mindfulness meditation had a larger effect on positive states of mind and was the only intervention that decreased both distractive and ruminative thoughts. Reducing rumination partially explained how mindfulness meditation lowered distress. No changes in spiritual experience were observed.
Anxiety comprises both cognitive (worry) and somatic (bodily tension) components, and different relaxation techniques may target these components differently. In a retrospective comparison of 77 people—44 who regularly practiced physical exercise and 33 who regularly practiced meditation for similar periods—those who exercised reported less somatic anxiety and more cognitive anxiety than meditators. The findings suggest that physical exercise and meditation are differentially associated with somatic and cognitive subcomponents of anxiety. The authors propose that relaxation involves both a generalized reduction across multiple physiological systems and technique-specific patterns of change. Prospective studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms.
Meditation may help manage stress by inducing a low-arousal state that inhibits the autonomic activation typical of the stress response. If the temporary effects of meditation become lasting traits, its significance as a daily stress intervention could be major. Experienced meditators practicing transcendental meditation showed a stress reactivity pattern that contrasts with that of chronically anxious individuals, particularly in faster stress recovery and lower state and trait anxiety levels.