Psychological effects of meditation at a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar.
Yuichi Kasai, Toshihiko Sakakibara, Thein Aung Kyaw, Zaw Wai Soe, Zaw Min Han, Maung Mg Htwe
Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England) February 1, 2017 DOI: 10.3109/09638237.2015.1124405 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMeditation reduces depressive mood, anger, hostility, and fatigue while increasing vigor, with psychological flexibility improving only after more than a year of practice. These findings come from comparing 97 Myanmar people practicing Vipassana contemplation training with 81 Myanmar nurses who had no meditation experience, using the short version of Profile of Mood States and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 178 |
| Population | Myanmar people practicing Vipassana contemplation training and Myanmar nurses without meditation experience |
| Intervention | Vipassana contemplation training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental health Personality Psychological tests Psychology |
| Key finding | Meditation mitigates depressive mood, anger, hostility, and fatigue, increases vigor, and enhances psychological flexibility only after more than a year of practice. |
Abstract
Meditation is widely used as a therapeutic measure because it can effectively reduce stress, pain, and improve the mental health, but there are many unclear points about the psychological effects of meditation. The purpose of this study is to verify the psychological effects of meditation. The short version of Profile of Mood States (POMS-SF) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) were conducted to compare 97 Myanmar people practicing Vipassana contemplation training with 81 Myanmar nurses who did not have any experience with meditation. The results of our study revealed that meditation mitigated depressive mood, anger, hostility, and fatigue and increased vigor. The enhancement of psychological flexibility occurred only after practicing meditation for more than a year. It can be considered that meditation mitigates anger, hostility and fatigue and increases vigor at a relatively early stage after starting meditation practice, and if meditation practice is continued for more than a year, enhancement of psychological flexibility can also be expected.