Effects of mindfulness training on emotional and physiologic recovery from induced negative affect.
Alexandra D Crosswell, Patricia I Moreno, Elizabeth B Raposa, Sarosh J Motivala, Annette L Stanton, Patricia A Ganz, Julienne E Bower
Psychoneuroendocrinology December 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial (embedded within a larger randomized trial) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 71 |
| Population | Younger breast cancer survivors |
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Duration | 6-week intervention |
| Measures | blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), root mean square of successive differences in heart rate (RMSSD), pre-ejection period (PEP), self-reported sadness, anxiety, and anger |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cancer survivorship Cardiovascular health Emotion regulation Mindfulness meditation Stress reactivity |
| Key findings | Women assigned to six weeks of mindfulness training reported higher sadness and anger during a personal recall task than wait-list controls, but then showed steeper declines in sadness and anger and a steeper initial decline in diastolic blood pressure. The groups did not differ in anxiety, blood pressure, heart rate, or pre-ejection period responses. The authors suggest mindfulness training may lead to an enhanced emotional experience coupled with quicker recovery from negative emotional states. |
Abstract
Mindfulness training has been shown to improve psychological well-being and physical health. One proposed pathway for the positive effects of mindfulness training is through the development of new emotion regulation strategies, such as the ability to experience emotions by observing and accepting them without judgment. Theoretically, this should facilitate recovery from negative emotional states; however, this has rarely been examined empirically. The goal of the current study was to determine whether mindfulness training is associated with more efficient emotional and cardiovascular recovery from induced negative affect. The current study tested emotional and cardiovascular recovery from induced negative affect during a personal recall task in women randomly assigned to 6-weeks of mindfulness training (n=39) compared to women assigned to a wait-list control condition (n=32). During baseline, task, and post-task rest, blood pressure and heart rate were monitored at fixed intervals and heart rate variability (HRV) and pre-ejection period (PEP) were monitored continuously. This study was embedded within a randomized trial that evaluated the effects of mindfulness training in a sample of younger breast cancer survivors, a group in need of access to effective psychosocial intervention as they can experience high stress, anxiety, and physical symptoms for many years in to survivorship. In response to the personal recall task, women in both the intervention and control groups showed significant increases in sadness, anxiety, and anger, with the intervention group reaching higher levels of sadness and anger than controls. Further, the intervention group showed a significantly steeper decline in sadness and anger, as well as steeper initial decline in diastolic blood pressure compared to women in the wait list control condition. Groups did not differ in their self-reported feelings of anxiety, or in blood pressure, heart rate, or pre-ejection period (PEP) responses to the task. The control group demonstrated an increase in heart rate variability (HRV) during the task (indexed by the root mean square of successive differences in heart rate; RMSSD) while the intervention group remained flat throughout the task. Compared to the control group, women in the intervention group experienced greater negative emotions when recalling a difficult experience related to their breast cancer, and demonstrated an efficient emotional and blood pressure recovery from the experience. This suggests that mindfulness training may lead to an enhanced emotional experience coupled with the ability to recovery quickly from negative emotional states.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology May 3, 2018
- App-Based Mindfulness for Attenuation of Subjective and Physiological Stress Reactivity in a Population With Elevated Stress: Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR mHealth and uHealth August 8, 2023
- Digital Meditation to Target Employee Stress: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open January 2, 2025
- Effects of mindfulness breathing meditation on stress and cognitive functions: a heart rate variability and eye-tracking study Scientific Reports October 24, 2025
- Are Subjective Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Related to Changes in Cardiac and Cortical Responses to a Stress Task? Mindfulness May 14, 2024
and 12 more in the library
Cites 13
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- Inside the Mindful Mind Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2013
and 8 more in the library