Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being
June 23, 2016
Julieta Galante, Marie‐jet Bekkers, Clive Mitchell et al.
55 citations
An online loving-kindness meditation course and a light physical exercise course both improved well-being, with no significant difference between them. Participants in the meditation course were less anxious than those in the exercise course. They were also more likely to donate money to charity, though this result was not statistically significant. The meditation course was emotionally intense, generating deep reflections and increased feelings of connectedness, but was difficult for some to process. The exercise course led to gentle increases in relaxation and a sense of achievement. Attrition was high at 82%.
Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being
October 10, 2022
Constance Karing
31 citations
A randomized controlled trial in Germany assigned 50 university students to a 7-week mindfulness intervention delivered either by live videoconference or by unguided podcasts. The videoconference group showed a larger reduction in depression than the podcast group. Both groups experienced significant increases in mindfulness and, for those analyzed as originally assigned, life satisfaction. More frequent home practice was linked to better outcomes only in the videoconference group. The findings suggest that live videoconference mindfulness training can effectively reduce depressive symptoms, while both formats improve mindfulness and life satisfaction.
Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being
August 3, 2021
Julia Schaupp, Sonja M. Geiger
7 citations
Participating in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program increases both time affluence and subjective well-being compared to a physically exercising control group. The effect of increased mindfulness on well-being is partially explained by a rise in perceived time affluence, suggesting that feeling less time pressure is one mechanism through which mindfulness boosts well-being. This is the first longitudinal study to show that practicing mindfulness can change how much time affluence people experience.
Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being
August 1, 2025
Nicholas Bowles, Nicholas T. van Dam
6 citations
Meditation practice dose is significantly associated with improvements in well-being, affect, and distress, with practice frequency being a stronger predictor of beneficial outcomes than session duration. During a two-month prospective period, 35 to 65 minutes of daily practice was required for meaningful improvements in well-being, and 50 to 80 minutes daily for meaningful improvements in mental health outcomes. Dose-response effects were moderated by lifetime practice experience, negative emotionality, and valuing mental health as a practice goal. Benefits were maintained over a two- to four-year follow-up period.
Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being
September 4, 2025
Andreas Schwerdtfeger, Bernhard Weber, Christian Rominger
2 citations
A two-week daily auditory body scan intervention can enhance interoception—the perception of internal bodily signals—as measured by heartbeat detection tasks and self-reported awareness. Two pre-registered randomized trials compared the body scan to guided imagery (Study 1, 85 participants) or a passive control (Study 2, 90 participants). Both studies found improvements in heartbeat tracking accuracy, confidence in bodily perceptions, and multidimensional interoceptive awareness after the body scan. However, guided imagery produced similar benefits, suggesting that structured attention to the body, rather than the specific practice, may drive these effects.