Mindfulness for Anxiety Management and Happiness: The Role of VR, Metacognition, and Hormones
Eleni Mitsea, Athanasios Drigas, Charalampos Skianis
Technium BioChemMed September 24, 2022 DOI: 10.47577/biochemmed.v3i3.7343 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that mindfulness training reduces stress hormones and increases hormones and neurotransmitters associated with relaxation, positivity, and self-satisfaction, supporting their initial hypothesis. They argue that virtual reality can assist mindfulness training by optimizing the experience and increasing intervention effectiveness, and conclude that mindfulness functions as metacognitive training that allows individuals to control and balance physiological processes underlying cognition, mood, and well-being. |
Abstract
Chronic stress, even at a young age, has become a major health concern with the harmful effects on cognition, mood, and well-being largely underestimated. Mindfulness interventions are well-recognized as effective strategies in stress management. However, we know less about the impact of mindfulness on physiological indicators such as hormones/neurotransmitters. This review study aims to provide representative studies regarding the impact of mindfulness practices on hormones and neurotransmitters, which are responsible for stress regulation, positivity, and wellness. Taking into consideration the difficulties that many people have to follow a conventional mindfulness program, we also investigated the effectiveness of virtual reality as an assistive tool for mindfulness training. The results confirmed our initial hypothesis, according to which mindfulness training reduces stress hormones while increasing hormones/neurotransmitters which induce relaxation along with positivity and self-satisfaction. Virtual reality provides several advantages facilitating training conditions, optimizing the experience, and increasing the effectiveness of interventions. In addition, it strengthens self-control skills. These results indicate also that those physiological parameters, which are considered to be out of human control, can be modified with self-control practices. We conclude that mindfulness practices constitute a form of metacognitive training by which individuals can take control and balance the physiological processes that determine cognition, mood, and well-being. Virtual reality maximizes therapeutic outcomes, especially for people with disabilities or difficulties with conventional interventions.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review General (healthcare, schools, workplace) | 2021 | Review | |
| A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders | 2017 | Review and consensus statement | |
| Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines | 2005 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology | 2018 | Review | |
| Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression: Challenges and Strategies | 2020 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Mindfulness, social evaluation anxiety, and self-regulation: exploring their association on impulsive behavior among athletes. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024
- Mindful Self-Compassion Smartphone Intervention for Worker Mental Health in Japan: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols July 15, 2024
- Effects of Self-Compassion and Mindfulness Interventions on Mental Health and Work-Related Outcomes Among Japanese Workers: Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of Medical Internet Research February 10, 2026
- Virtual EMO-Mind: Exploring the Benefits of Virtual Mindfulness for Heart Rate Variability and Emotional Skills in Young Students Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback January 3, 2026
- Virtual Reality Mindfulness-Based Intervention for School Children: Does Neuroticism or Initial Mindfulness Moderate the Effects? Mindfulness December 28, 2025
and 1 more in the library
Cites 19
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- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
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- A Metacognition Based 8 Pillars Mindfulness Model and Training Strategies International Journal of Recent Contributions from Engineering Science & IT (iJES) December 18, 2020
- Virtual Group-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Autistic Adults: a Feasibility Study. Mindfulness June 13, 2022
and 14 more in the library