The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Attentional Control During Off-Season Among Football Players
Yago Carioca Baltar, A. Filgueiras
April 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1177/2158244018781896 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal controlled study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Elite football players |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 4 months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation did not improve attentional control or mindfulness skills in elite football players; however, it prevented declines in both variables that occurred in the control group after the third month of the four-month off-season period. |
Abstract
Mindfulness can be defined as the process of maintaining attention in the present, without judgment or expectations. Recent advances in sports sciences suggest that mindfulness meditation may have a positive effect on performance. The present article hypothesized that those improvements are associated with increasing levels of attentional control. Altogether, participants of the study are 40 elite football players who were followed longitudinally for 4 months during off-season control, and experimental groups were paired based on field position. Mindfulness skills and attentional control were measured. Results showed that participants from the experimental group kept the same levels of mindfulness skills and attentional control throughout the whole period of intervention, whereas the control group presented decrease after the third month in both psychological variables. The results lead to the conclusion that mindfulness meditation does not improve attentional control or mindfulness skills; however, it prevents those variables to show decrease among elite football players.
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 6
- The effect of mindfulness training on the psychological state of high-level athletes: Meta analysis and system evaluation research. Journal of Sports Sciences March 1, 2025
- Mindfulness and traditional training: A 16 – week study on their combined effect on shooting accuracy and anxiety in football players Health sport rehabilitation December 21, 2025
- Mindfulness meditation can improve time-based prospective memory performance in restricted monitoring situation. Consciousness and Cognition 2026
- Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Prospective Memory Under Different Attentional Load Conditions Applied Cognitive Psychology September 1, 2025
- Effects of Mindfulness Intervention on Cognitive Function in Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Mindfulness August 6, 2025
and 1 more in the library
Cites 24
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
and 19 more in the library