Using neural signatures to predict health behavior change: A mindful distancing intervention to reduce alcohol consumption as a proof of concept
PsyArXiv Preprints July 5, 2026 preprint DOI: osf:7j4ey_v2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Translational neuroscience study combining fMRI and experience sampling intervention |
|---|---|
| Population | College students |
| Intervention | mindful distancing intervention |
| Duration | 28-day intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Alcohol College Ema Emotion regulation Experience sampling FMRI Intervention Neural signature Prevention Psychological distance Self-regulation Cognitive neuroscience Health psychology Health-related behavior |
| Key points | Mindful distancing reduced alcohol consumption through direct and craving-mediated pathways, with greater benefits for individuals showing stronger neural signature expression. |
Abstract
Developing interventions to change health behaviors—especially those targeting cross-cutting health risk factors like alcohol use—is a public health priority. In this study, we used a translational neuroscience approach to evaluate the underlying mechanisms and individual differences in a mindful distancing intervention designed to reduce alcohol consumption among college students. We combined functional neuroimaging and machine learning to develop a brain-based predictive model (a “neural signature”) of mindful distancing. This model allowed us to track moment-to-moment variation in how participants implemented the strategy, as well as differences between individuals. Students completed a mindful distancing task involving alcohol cues during fMRI scanning. They then completed a 28-day, smartphone-based, experience sampling intervention. In the laboratory, mindfully attending to alcohol decreased craving, particularly among people who more strongly expressed the mindful distancing signature. In daily life, the mindful distancing intervention increased mindful responses to alcohol and decreased subsequent alcohol consumption through two distinct pathways: mindful responses directly influenced alcohol consumption and indirectly influenced it by reducing cravings for alcohol. Individuals with stronger expression of the neural signature experienced the greatest benefits from the intervention. These findings extend theoretical models of how mindfulness-based emotion regulation strategies impact alcohol use in emerging adults without alcohol use disorders. They also demonstrate the potential of using neural signatures to evaluate health behavior change interventions within a translational neuroscience framework.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |