Effects of a Brief Mindfulness Induction on Death-Related Anxiety
David M. Schultz, Randolph C. Arnau
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying August 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1177/0030222817721115 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 77 |
| Population | Participants in a laboratory experiment |
| Intervention | Mindfulness induction |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness and mind-wandering inductions led to fewer proximal defenses than worrying after mortality salience, with no differences in distal defenses. Negative affect was lower after mindfulness than after worrying. The authors suggest mindfulness buffers against negative affect and some mortality salience responses, but these effects did not differ from those of mind-wandering. |
Abstract
This study examined effects of a mindfulness induction on proximal and distal defense responses to mortality salience and negative affect. Three experimental conditions were included: mindfulness, mind-wandering, and worrying. Participants in the mindfulness condition underwent a mindfulness induction at the experiment’s outset, while participants in the other two conditions underwent a mind-wandering or worry induction. Inductions involved following guided audio instructions presented via headphones. All conditions ( N = 77) underwent a mortality salience induction after experimental manipulation, involving a written exercise pertaining to one’s death. Results indicated fewer proximal responses in the mindfulness and mind-wandering groups, compared with the worrying group, but no differences in distal responses. Negative affect was lower in the mindfulness group than in the worrying group following mortality salience. Results suggest that mindfulness exercises effectively buffer against negative affect and some responses to mortality salience, although these effects are not different from those of mind-wandering.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- My Future: Psychodrama and Meditation to Improve Well-Being Through the Elaboration of Traumatic Loss Among Italian High School Students. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- Training the embodied self in its impermanence: meditators evidence neurophysiological markers of death acceptance. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Mindfulness meditators’ brains show an acceptance of death which predicts positively-valenced meditative self-dissolution experiences PsyArXiv August 21, 2023
- Contemplative Practice and Responses to Mortality Salience: Evidence from Long-Term Sufi Meditators Behavioral Sciences August 26, 2026
- Guided Mindfulness of Death to Reduce Fear of Death in Cancer Patients: Randomized Controlled Study. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management August 13, 2025
and 2 more in the library
Cites 6
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
- 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
- Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology July 26, 2010
and 1 more in the library