Daily mindfulness, stress reactivity, and the impact on daily health behaviors and emotional well-being
Lauren Elizabeth McManus
Library, Museums and Press - UDSpace (University of Delaware) May 28, 2025 DOI: 10.58088/q375-zs94 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort (daily diary study) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Undergraduates |
| Duration | 7 consecutive days |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Reactivity psychology Clinical psychology Stress linguistics Developmental psychology Psychotherapist Alternative medicine |
| Key findings | Daily mindfulness was associated with better health behaviors and emotional well-being but not with reduced stress reactivity to negative events. |
Abstract
Using a daily diary methodology, we assessed the influence of daily (state) mindfulness on daily health behaviors, emotional well-being, and reactivity to negative events. Undergraduates completed nightly surveys for seven consecutive days reporting on their mindfulness, affect, daily events, and health behaviors (i.e., eating, exercise, and sleep). Results indicated that mindfulness (using the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, or FFMQ) demonstrated both within- and between- person variability. Moreover, there were significant associations between daily mindfulness and daily health and emotional well-being, such that on days when an individual reported being more mindful, they also reported higher levels of some positive health behaviors and higher levels of emotional well-being. Surprisingly, daily mindfulness was not found to impact stress reactivity on a daily level. To our knowledge this study is the first to assess state mindfulness using the full FFMQ, and to examine associations between state mindfulness, daily health behaviors, and stress reactivity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 15
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
and 10 more in the library