Minding one’s emotions: Mindfulness training alters the neural expression of sadness.
Norman A. S. Farb, Adam K. Anderson, Helen S. Mayberg, Jim Bean, Deborah McKeon, Zindel V. Segal
Emotion February 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1037/a0017151 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Sadness Affect linguistics Psychopathy Developmental psychology Clinical psychology Anger Personality Communication |
| Citations | 523 |
| Post-publication review | 1 comment on PubPeer (opens in new tab) · last active September 2016 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training shifts neural response to sadness from self-referential cortical midline regions to right-lateralized visceral and somatosensory areas, and this somatic recruitment is associated with decreased depression scores. |
Abstract
Recovery from emotional challenge and increased tolerance of negative affect are both hallmarks of mental health. Mindfulness training (MT) has been shown to facilitate these outcomes, yet little is known about its mechanisms of action. The present study employed functional MRI (fMRI) to compare neural reactivity to sadness provocation in participants completing 8 weeks of MT and waitlisted controls. Sadness resulted in widespread recruitment of regions associated with self-referential processes along the cortical midline. Despite equivalent self-reported sadness, MT participants demonstrated a distinct neural response, with greater right-lateralized recruitment, including visceral and somatosensory areas associated with body sensation. The greater somatic recruitment observed in the MT group during evoked sadness was associated with decreased depression scores. Restoring balance between affective and sensory neural networks-supporting conceptual and body based representations of emotion-could be one path through which mindfulness reduces vulnerability to dysphoric reactivity.