Impact of self-guided mindfulness versus self-compassion application on physiological and psychological outcomes in workers: A randomized controlled trial.
Takumu Kurosawa, Koichiro Adachi, Ryu Takizawa
Applied psychology. Health and well-being August 2026 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.70201 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 201 |
| Population | Workers who were intervention initiators with session-level data (SCM n=86; MM n=85) |
| Duration | 4-week intervention |
| Measures | HR, RMSSD, subjective relaxation, PANAS, Affect Grid |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Low‐intensity interventions Physiological measures Randomized controlled trial Self‐compassion Technology‐based interventions |
| Key findings | Both self-compassion and mindfulness meditation apps produced similar effects on daily physiological and relaxation measures, with no significant group-by-time interactions. Weekly analyses suggested reduced negative affect in the self-compassion group, but overall effects were broadly comparable. |
Abstract
This randomized controlled trial compared 4-week self-guided self-compassion meditation (SCM) and mindfulness meditation (MM) apps among workers in two active arms (n = 201); analyses included intervention initiators with session-level data (SCM n = 86; MM n = 85). Primary daily outcomes were pre-session levels and immediate pre-post changes in HR, heart rate variability by RMSSD, and subjective relaxation; secondary weekly outcomes were PANAS and Affect Grid scores. Repeated-measures ANOVA and linear mixed models examined time and group effects. Daily models showed increased pre-post RMSSD differences and pre-session HR across days in SCM, stronger pre-post HR reduction and increased pre-session HR in MM, and reduced pre-post relaxation differences in both groups, with no group × day interactions. Weekly LMM analyses suggested reduced negative affect in SCM; however, SCM and MM showed broadly comparable effects, with no significant group × time interactions across daily and weekly outcomes. These findings support the value of short-term trajectories and physiological markers and warrant longer follow-up.