The effect of brief digital mindfulness-based interventions on increasing online charitable behavior in Chinese adolescents.
Mei Hong, Dapeng Liang, Teng Lu, Shengchen Liu
Frontiers in Psychology August 2, 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1213089 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 119 |
| Population | Chinese adolescents (high school students) inexperienced with mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Empathy Self-compassion Chinese adolescents Social connectedness Donations |
| Key findings | Digital mindfulness-based interventions improved empathy and compassion in Chinese adolescents, leading to increased donations of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. The authors suggest these findings support the applicability of d-MBIs for promoting prosocial behavior in real-world contexts, beyond artificial or hypothetical scenarios. |
Abstract
Digital mindfulness-based interventions (d-MBIs) have garnered significant research interest in recent years due to their psychological benefits. However, little is known about their impact on prosocial behaviors. This study investigates how d-MBIs impact prosocial behaviors where time spent is money, with Chinese adolescents as the subjects, through an online charity task (www.freerice.com). 119 students from a high school in China, who were inexperienced with mindfulness meditation, participated in this randomized controlled trial. The d-MBI group (N = 39) received online MBI guidance, while the face-to-face mindfulness-based intervention (f-MBI, N = 43) group underwent mindfulness intervention under personal tutors. The active control group (N = 37) completed a crossword task. Data analysis first involved repeated measures variance analysis, including pre-and post-intervention assessments. Subsequently, a two-way variance analysis was performed, with gender (female and male) and group (d-MBI, f-MBI, active control) as independent variables and the number of grains as dependent variables for the three groups of participants. Results showed that d-MBIs effectively improved empathy and compassion in Chinese adolescents, leading to increased rice donations to the United Nations World Food Program. These results underscore the positive effect of d-MBIs on prosociality and suggest their applicability in beneficial real-world situations involving prosocial behaviors, extending beyond previous research primarily conducted in artificial and hypothetical scenarios.
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
Cited by 2
- The effects of mindfulness on psychological thriving among urban park visitors: evidence from three experimental studies Frontiers in Public Health December 16, 2025
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms in Chinese adolescent girls: a mixed-methods school-based study of parent and teacher perceptions. BMC Psychology October 14, 2025
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