A randomized controlled trial with 138 university employees found that using the Headspace meditation app for 10 minutes daily reduced subjective stress and perseverative cognitions by week 2, and improved perceived coping by week 5, with effects lasting through week 8. No changes were observed for stressor appraisal. The control group reported increases in stress and perseverative cognitions and decreases in coping over the same period. The study used ecological momentary assessments five times daily across four days at multiple points, yielding 6260 observations. Headspace was effective at reducing stress in a high-stress environment, suggesting quick and sustained benefits from meditation practice.
All four stress-reduction interventions—mindfulness meditation, slow breathing with warm showers, fast-paced breathing with cold showers (the Wim Hof Method), and high-intensity interval training—reduced depressive symptoms by about 16% and perceived stress by about 10% after three weeks in women with high stress. No group outperformed the others immediately after the intervention. However, a post hoc analysis of participants who adhered to their assigned program suggested that the Wim Hof Method group maintained lower depression scores and greater daily positive affect three months later, a finding that requires replication with larger, more diverse samples.