Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation on the emotional reaction to affective pictures assessed by electrodermal activity
Pedro Correia, Cláudia Quaresma, Pedro Henrique de Paula Ramalho Morais, Miguel Fonseca, Ricardo Vigário, Carla Quintão
Biomedical Signal Processing and Control August 12, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2023.105314 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 25 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers with no previous experience of meditation techniques |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 12-week MBSR course, with data collected longitudinally in 4 scheduled sessions |
| Measures | Electrodermal Activity (EDA), depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS) questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | Across a 12-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course, participants showed increased electrodermal response latency and decreased amplitude, area, number of specific responses, and skin conductance level, which the authors suggest indicates reduced reactivity to emotional stimuli and improved emotional well-being. Preliminary evidence suggested women improved their attitude toward stressful stimuli more than men, and electrodermal parameters correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS) scores. |
Abstract
In recent years the psychophysiological benefits of Mindfulness meditation on emotional processing have drawn great interest in scientific research. Currently, the effects of this meditation practice on stress, anxiety and well-being have been mostly evaluated using self-reporting questionnaires, which lead to a quite subjective assessment. This study assesses the effect of Mindfulness practice on the reaction to emotionally charged visual stimuli through Electrodermal Activity (EDA) data. Twenty-five healthy volunteers, without any previous experience of meditation techniques completed a 12-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. EDA and psychological measures were collected longitudinally in 4 scheduled sessions. Statistical analysis was performed to find changes in the most relevant EDA parameters throughout the 4 sessions of data collection. We found an increase in response latency, and a decrease in amplitude, area, number of specific responses, and skin conductance level along Mindfulness training. Both outcomes might suggest a reduction in the reactivity to the presented stimuli and an improvement in the emotional well-being of the practitioners. Furthermore, this study showed preliminary evidence that women improve more their attitude towards stressful stimuli than man, after the mindfulness practice. The statistical analysis also showed a correlation between the main EDA parameters and the scores reported by each participant in the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS) questionnaire. This study contributed to a more objective evaluation of the physiological changes observed during Mindfulness practice, and so to understand the underlying mechanisms that explain the benefits of meditation training.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Intentional Slow Breathing Versus Spontaneous Breathing During Mindfulness Meditation Differentially Affects Electroencephalographic Oscillations and Skin Conductance Mindfulness May 26, 2026
- Mindfulness training enhances face working memory: evidence from the drift-diffusion model npj Science of Learning December 9, 2025
- Emotional body odors alter autonomic nervous activity during mindfulness training in social anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders June 10, 2026
- Enhancing Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in a Virtual Reality: A Prospective Interventional Study. Scientific Reports September 9, 2025
Cites 16
- A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients Psychosomatic Medicine September 1, 2000
- Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysiological markers of attentional control Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based Meditation Training. Frontiers in Psychology 2017
- Gender differences in response to a school-based mindfulness training intervention for early adolescents. Journal of school psychology June 1, 2018
and 11 more in the library