Brief breath awareness training yields poorer working memory performance in the context of acute stress
Simon B. Goldberg, Lisa Flook, Matthew J. Hirshberg, Richard J. Davidson, Stacey M. Schaefer
Cognition & Emotion January 29, 2021 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2021.1878113 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 162 |
| Population | Meditation-naïve adults |
| Interventions | Breath awareness Loving-kindness Gratitude Attentional control |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Gratitude Cognition Context archaeology Attentional control Working memory Psychological intervention Clinical psychology Cognitive psychology Developmental psychology |
| Citations | 6 |
| Registration | NCT02214264 |
| Key findings | Brief breath awareness training did not improve working memory after acute stress and led to worse performance compared to loving-kindness, gratitude, or attentional control conditions. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions that span multiple sessions over time appear to confer psychological benefits. However, the effects of brief periods of mindfulness meditation training are less clear, particularly on measures of cognitive functioning. This study assessed whether brief mindfulness practice (breath awareness) or training in two other contemplative practices – loving-kindness and gratitude – differentially impact working memory performance following acute physiological stress relative to an attentional control.
Participants: (n = 162) were randomly assigned to one of four training groups and completed the automated Operation Span (OSPAN) task pre-training and again after undergoing the cold pressor task. Three of the four groups improved in OSPAN performance, with loving-kindness, gratitude, and attentional control conditions showing increases in OSPAN relative to breath awareness. Changes in OSPAN were not correlated with changes in positive or negative affect. It appears that brief breath awareness training may not effectively buffer against acute stress in this predominantly meditation naïve sample and may in fact impair subsequent cognitive performance relative to a control or other contemplative practices. A granular approach is warranted to understand potentially distinct and contextually variable effects of different contemplative practices. Implications are discussed in light of the stress buffering hypothesis and Monitor and Acceptance Theory.Trial
Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02214264.