Integrated online fantasy football platform promotes meditation activity among male-identifying undergraduate students
Samuel M. Degenhard, Denise Hatter-Fisher
Discover Psychology January 4, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s44202-025-00535-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Men (undergraduate students) |
| Interventions | mindful fantasy sports mindfulness-based meditation app |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Men using mindful fantasy sports meditated significantly more often and for longer cumulative duration than those using a mindfulness app alone, and reported higher competence satisfaction. |
Abstract
Abstract Given the growing burden of mental health disorders, the use of smartphone-based mindfulness meditation applications has drastically increased. However, such applications have failed to attract a substantial base of male users and suffer from poor adherence across genders, which might be due to a lack of basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS), a determinant of intrinsic motivation. It was theorized that online fantasy sports could compensate for possible shortcomings of conventional meditation apps by inspiring consistent usage among men. Using a randomized control trial design, this study tested an eight-week, gamified meditation program linking the mechanics of fantasy sports to weekly meditation goals (termed “mindful fantasy sports”) against using a mindfulness-based meditation app alone in a sample of men (n = 24). A secondary aim of the study was to determine whether mindful fantasy sports were more intrinsically motivating than conventional meditation apps by measuring BPNS. The current findings showed participants in the mindful fantasy sports group meditated significantly more often (M exp = 36.73 sessions, M con = 22.46 sessions, p = .03) and for a significantly longer cumulative duration (M exp = 404.00 min, M con = 277.31 min, p < .01) than peers in the control condition. In addition, those playing mindful fantasy sports reported higher degrees of BPNS, specifically higher competence satisfaction (M exp = 5.19, M con = 4.54, p = .03). These findings support the contention that mindful fantasy sports can effectively promote male engagement with meditation apps. Mindful fantasy sports are a tool that could be deployed to address growing mental health issues, and the current study provides insight into motivational and behavioral factors of male undergraduate students interacting with a digital mental health tool that can be applied to future interventions.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- Testing the Efficacy of a Multicomponent, Self-Guided, Smartphone-Based Meditation App: Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR Mental Health November 27, 2020
- A mindfulness meditation mobile app improves depression and anxiety in adults with sleep disturbance: Analysis from a randomized controlled trial General Hospital Psychiatry September 11, 2021
- App‐based mindfulness meditation reduces perceived stress and improves self‐regulation in working university students: A randomised controlled trial Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being December 27, 2021
- Situating Meditation Apps Within the Ecosystem of Meditation Practice: Population-Based Survey Study. JMIR Mental Health April 28, 2023
- Mobile Mindfulness Intervention for Psychological Distress Among Intensive Care Unit Survivors: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine July 1, 2024
and 8 more in the library