Experimental effects of brief, single bouts of walking and meditation on mood profile in young adults
Meghan K. Edwards, P. Loprinzi
Health Promotion Perspectives July 7, 2018 DOI: 10.15171/hpp.2018.23 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 10-minute bout of brisk walking or meditation improves mood state in young adults compared to sitting quietly. In a randomized trial with 66 participants (average age 21.3 years), those who walked or meditated showed reduced fatigue and inertia, while only the meditation group showed a significant overall mood improvement. The control group, which sat for 10 minutes, did not experience these benefits.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 66 |
| Population | Young adults (mean age 21.3 years) |
| Interventions | brisk walking meditation |
| Dose | 10 minutes |
| Duration | 10-minute intervention |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | A 10-minute bout of brisk walking and meditation both improved mood state compared to an inactive control group, with meditation showing a significant overall mood improvement and both interventions reducing fatigue and inertia. |
Abstract
Background: To examine the effects of an acute bout of aerobic exercise and meditation on mood state among young adults. Methods: Participants (N= 66, mean age = 21.3 years) were randomly assigned to walk,meditate, or sit (control) for 10 minutes. Participants’ mood state was monitored before and after the intervention using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire. Results: Significant group x time interaction effects were observed for the POMS composite scores (P=0.05). When evaluating three POMS sub scales separately (depression/dejection,anger/hostility, and fatigue/inertia), only fatigue/inertia was found to have a significant group x time effect (P=0.04). Post hoc paired t tests revealed that fatigue/inertia sub scale scores significantly decreased from baseline to post-intervention in both the exercise (P=0.03) and meditation (P<0.001) groups. However, POMS composite scores decreased significantly in the meditation group (P<0.001) but not in the exercise group (P=0.10). Conclusion: A 10-minute bout of brisk walking and meditation both improved mood state,when compared to an inactive control group. A single bout of brisk walking or meditation may offer suitable strategies to improve mood state among young adults.