The Effect of a Mindfulness-Based Education Program on Brain Waves and the Autonomic Nervous System in University Students.
Mijung Jung, Mikyoung Lee
Healthcare November 22, 2021 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9111606 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Single-group pre-post experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | University students in Korea |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based education program |
| Duration | Six sessions |
| Measures | mindfulness questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Autonomic nervous system University students Brain waves Mindfulness-based education program |
| Key findings | Mindfulness levels increased after a six-session mindfulness-based education program, and among the 28 students with physiological measures, alpha and theta brain waves increased while beta waves decreased. Heart rate variability did not change significantly, indicating no detected effect on the autonomic nervous system. The authors suggest the program may help students relax and generate a mindfulness state in stressful situations. |
Abstract
Background: Mindfulness, defined as the awareness emerging from purposefully paying attention to the present moment, has been shown to be effective in reducing stress and, thus, promoting psychological well-being. This study investigated the effects of a mindfulness-based education program on mindfulness, brain waves, and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in university students in Korea.
Methods: This study is a quantitative and experimental research with a single-group pre-post design. Six sessions of mindfulness-based intervention were applied. In total, 42 students completed a mindfulness questionnaire before and after the intervention, and 28 among them completed pre-intervention and post-intervention measures of brain waves and ANS.
Results: The level of mindfulness increased in the participants after intervention. Regarding brain waves, the alpha and theta waves increased, but the beta waves decreased. There was no significant difference in the ANS, presenting no change in heart rate variability.
Conclusions: We identified the positive effects of the mindfulness-based education program for university students. The findings indicate that this program may help students not only relax, but also generate a mindfulness state in stressful situations, potentially leading to a successful university life. This study can be used as a basis for quality improvement and sustainability of mindfulness-based education programs for university students.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Emotion Self-Regulation in Neurotic Students: A Pilot Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Assess Its Effectiveness through Brain Signals and Behavioral Data Sensors March 31, 2022
- Brain-computer interfaces in digital mindfulness training for metacognitive, emotional and attention regulation skills: a literature review Research, Society and Development February 18, 2023
- Effect of Brief Mindfulness Meditation Interventions on Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Systematic Review. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback July 26, 2025
- BILMB: Design of a hybrid Bio inspired Incremental Learning-based model for analysing effects of Meditation on different Body-parts 2023 6th International Conference on Information Systems and Computer Networks March 3, 2023
- Mindfulness and Endurance Performance in Distance Runners: The Mediator Role of Prefrontal Resting-State Activity
and 1 more in the library
Cites 23
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- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology May 1, 2007
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
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