The Effects of Different Stages of Mindfulness Meditation Training on Emotion Regulation

An 8-week mindfulness training program combining 4 weeks of focusing attention (FA) meditation and 4 weeks of open monitoring (OM) meditation reduced anxiety, depression, and rumination scores, increased mindfulness scores, and shortened reaction times on the incongruent condition of the Stroop task compared with a control group. FA meditation partially improved mindfulness and effectively improved mood, while OM meditation further improved mindfulness and helped maintain a positive mood. The program was designed for ordinary individuals and included 40 participants randomly assigned to training or control groups, with assessments at three time points.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study examined mood enhancement effects from 4-week focusing attention (FA) meditation and 4-week open monitoring (OM) meditation in an 8-week mindfulness training program designed for ordinary individuals. Forty participants were randomly assigned to a training group or a control group. All participants were asked to perform cognitive tasks and subjective scale tests at three time points (pre-, mid-, and post-tests). Compared with the participants in the control group, the participants in the meditation training group showed significantly decreased anxiety, depression, and rumination scores; significantly increased mindfulness scores; and significantly reduced reaction times (RTs) in the incongruent condition for the Stroop task. The present study demonstrated that 8-week mindfulness meditation training could effectively enhance the level of mindfulness and improve emotional states. Moreover, FA meditation could partially improve individual levels of mindfulness and effectively improve mood, while OM meditation could further improve individual levels of mindfulness and maintain a positive mood.