Effect of brief mindfulness and relaxation inductions on anxiety, affect and brain activation in athletes.
Jui-Ti Nien, D. Gill, T. Chou, Chen-Shuo Liu, Xiaoling Geng, T. Hung, Yu-Kai Chang
Psychology of Sport And Exercise March 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102422 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects crossover experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Track and field athletes |
| Interventions | Brief mindfulness induction Relaxation induction |
| Duration | Three 30-minute conditions; assessments before and after each condition |
| Measures | State anxiety, affect, electroencephalography (EEG) theta and alpha bands |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Brief mindfulness induction and relaxation induction both reduced state anxiety and negative affect relative to a control condition, with no significant difference between the two, and neither affected positive affect. Both conditions showed higher frontal theta power than the control, while alpha power did not differ, which the authors interpret as evidence that the two approaches improve negative psychological states through similar neural mechanisms. |
Abstract
The mindfulness-based intervention and psychological skills training are often used for maintaining the mental health or reducing undesirable mental states in athletes. However, their differences in acute effects on mental health and underlying neural mechanism are not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the differential effects of brief mindfulness induction (MI) and relaxation induction (RI) on state anxiety, affect and brain activation. Thirty-five track and field athletes were recruited for this study. Using a within-subjects crossover design, participants underwent three conditions that incorporated two 30-min experimental conditions (i.e., MI or RI) and a control condition. State anxiety and affect were assessed before and after intervention, and brain activation (i.e., theta, alpha bands) were recorded by electroencephalography (EEG) during each 30-min condition. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that MI and RI similarly reduced state anxiety and negative affect from pre-test to post-test compared to the control condition. In terms of positive affect, there were no significant differences among the three conditions across times. Furthermore, participants exhibited higher frontal theta power during the MI and RI than control condition, whereas no differences in alpha power were observed among conditions. The current study provides initial evidence from an electrophysiological perspective that brief MI and RI both improve the negative psychological states in individual sport athletes through similar neural mechanisms. Nevertheless, the moderating effects of training experiences and long-term interventions on mental state and EEG activity in athletes need further investigation in future studies.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- EEG changes induced by meditative practices: State and trait effects in healthy subjects and in patients with epilepsy. Revue Neurologique April 1, 2024
- Psychological and attentional outcomes following acute mindfulness induction among high anxiety individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research February 1, 2024
- Mindfulness techniques for athletic excellence: the mediating role of mental resilience and moderating effect of emotional intelligence. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Effects of group mindfulness intervention on high-level distance runners: a quasi-experimental study. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2025
- Effects of brief online mindful sport performance enhancement on athletes' mental health, emotion regulation, and performance: a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial. International journal of sports medicine June 16, 2025
and 9 more in the library
Cites 17
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- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- Brief mindfulness training for negative affectivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 25, 2018
- Common and Dissociable Neural Activity After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Relaxation Response Programs Psychosomatic Medicine April 11, 2018
- An electrophysiological investigation on the emotion regulatory mechanisms of brief open monitoring meditation in novice non-meditators Scientific Reports August 28, 2020
and 12 more in the library