Influence of a Brief Online Mindfulness Intervention on Metacognition, Cognition, and Emotional Outcomes Among University Students: A Randomized Longitudinal Trial
Jordan S. H. Thomson, Stephen C. van Hedger
Psychology International July 9, 2025 DOI: 10.3390/psycholint7030060 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized longitudinal experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | University students |
| Intervention | Podcast control |
| Dose | 15 min daily |
| Duration | 31 days |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | A brief online mindfulness program improved self-reported mindfulness and metacognition and was rated more enjoyable and useful than a podcast control, but the two groups did not differ on any cognitive or affective outcome after the intervention. The authors suggest such programs may produce near transfer to proximal domains but that far transfer to cognition and affect remains unsupported. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been previously linked with improved cognition and reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. Yet, traditional MBIs are lengthy and resource intensive. Brief and online MBIs represent a bridge into more extensive practice—but questions of whether these protocols improve cognition and affect remain. The present experiment used a randomized longitudinal design to assess the effects of a 31-day, 15 min daily mindfulness program compared to a podcast control on a battery of cognitive and self-report measures in a sample of university students. Results indicated that, over the course of the study, the MBI group found their intervention less challenging, more enjoyable, more relaxing, more engaging, and more useful compared to the podcast control group. MBI participants also increased in state and dispositional mindfulness and state metacognition following the intervention relative to the Podcast group. However, both groups scored comparably on all cognitive and affective post-intervention measures, with equivalence testing suggesting that the observed effect sizes in the present study were significantly smaller than in some previously reported effects. Taken together, the results suggest that while brief online MBIs can elicit near transfer to proximal domains (e.g., mindfulness, metacognition), more work is needed to make strong claims that these MBIs elicit far transfer to cognitive and affective domains.