StreAM: An LLM-Based System for Stress-Adaptive Meditation at Work
Luca L. Bennardo, Luisa Weber, Jonas Hummel, Martin Feick
CHI Extended Abstracts April 13, 2026 DOI: 10.1145/3772363.3798694 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | StreAM (Stress-Adaptive Meditation) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Proposes StreAM, a system combining real-time heart rate variability monitoring with large-language-model-guided micro-meditation that adapts to user preferences and continues until physiological signs of stress reduction appear, as a scalable, unobtrusive approach to workplace stress management. |
Abstract
Workplace stress is a critical factor that undermines employee performance and leads to physical ailments and mental health challenges. Although meditation is widely recognized as an effective stress-reduction strategy, traditional meditation practices are often too time-consuming or complicated to be easily incorporated into professional settings. To address this issue, we introduce StreAM (Stress-Adaptive Meditation), a system that combines real-time stress detection with personalized micro-meditation exercises. StreAM continuously monitors heart rate variability to identify heightened stress levels and initiate an adaptive meditation session guided by a large language model. These sessions are tailored to users’ personal preferences and persist until physiological indicators signal stress reduction, enabling individuals to swiftly regain focus. By leveraging the growing potential of heart rate sensors in everyday devices, StreAM demonstrates a pathway toward scalable, accessible, and unobtrusive workplace stress management, potentially enhancing employee well-being and fostering healthier, more productive work environments.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Exploring the Use of Large Language Models for Improving the Awareness of Mindfulness CHI Extended Abstracts April 19, 2023
- ZenVR: Design Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Learning System for Meditation International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 29, 2022
- The efficacy of mindfulness meditation apps in enhancing users' well-being and mental health related outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Affective Disorders October 7, 2020
- What Is Meditation? Proposing an Empirically Derived Classification System Frontiers in Psychology October 15, 2019
and 1 more in the library