Loving-Kindness Colouring and Loving-Kindness Meditation: Exploring the Effectiveness of Non-Meditative and Meditative Practices on State Mindfulness and Anxiety
Michail Mantzios, A. Tariq, Momina Altaf, Kyriaki Giannou
Journal of Creativity in Mental Health February 14, 2021 DOI: 10.1080/15401383.2021.1884159 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 180 |
| Population | University students |
| Interventions | Loving-kindness coloring Loving-kindness meditation |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Loving-kindness coloring and loving-kindness meditation both similarly increased state mindfulness and self-compassion and decreased state anxiety, with no significant differences between the two practices. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Loving-kindness meditation has been recognized as a valuable form of meditation practice and features in most mindfulness programs. The present research explored the potential of an alternative non-meditative loving-kindness practice; namely, loving-kindness coloring. University students (N= 180) were randomly assigned to the loving-kindness coloring condition or the meditation condition. Both loving-kindness meditation and loving-kindness coloring were explored by measuring state mindfulness, pre-, and post-intervention. Results indicated that both conditions similarly increased in-state mindfulness and self-compassion, and decreased state anxiety, while there were non-significant differences between the practices. We concluded that there are similar levels of effectiveness to loving kindness meditation when introducing loving kindness coloring. Future implications on the applicability of loving-kindness practices are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- The neurophysiology of the intervention strategies of Awareness Training Program on emotion regulation Frontiers in Psychology July 22, 2022
- Understanding the Experiences of How Mindfulness is Used by People with Cystic Fibrosis: Barriers and Enablers Mindfulness January 24, 2023
- Designing scalable micro‑interventions for student wellbeing in higher education: a comparative study of digital and paper colouring Journal of Mental Health September 18, 2026
- Perspectives on Meditation-based Preparation for Psychedelic Experiences: Insights from Practitioners with Combined Meditation and Psychedelic Experience Mindfulness August 15, 2026
- Impact of meditation-only interventions on university students' resilience: A pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomised actively and passively controlled trials. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being June 1, 2026
and 3 more in the library
Cites 8
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- Focused attention, open monitoring and loving kindness meditation: effects on attention, conflict monitoring, and creativity – A review Frontiers in Psychology September 23, 2014
- The effect of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions: a meta-analytic review Frontiers in Psychology November 3, 2015
- Increased gray matter volume in the right angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri in loving-kindness meditators Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience July 18, 2012
- Comparing state anxiety and mindfulness between mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation whilst controlling for the effect of altruism and boredom Current Issues in Personality Psychology May 29, 2019
and 3 more in the library