Self-Control Strength and Mindfulness in Physical Exercise Performance: Does a Short Mindfulness Induction Compensate for the Detrimental Ego Depletion Effect?
Eva Stöcker, Chris Englert, Roland Seiler
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology May 4, 2018 DOI: 10.1080/10413200.2018.1471754 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Mixed between- and within-subjects experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Sport students |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | Two measurement times, 7 days apart; 4-minute mindfulness exercise |
| Measures | plank exercise duration |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 30 |
| Key findings | A 4-minute mindfulness exercise did not compensate for the detrimental effect of ego depletion on physical performance. The authors found no interaction between ego depletion and mindfulness on how long participants could hold a plank exercise. |
Abstract
To meet specific goals, athletes frequently have to deal with several demands that may deplete their limited self-control resources, which may in turn negatively affect their subsequent performance in a wide variety of sports-related tasks (e.g., coordinative, psychological, and physical tasks). Mindfulness meditation may be beneficial for mechanisms involved during self-control exertion, because it supports efficient emotion regulation, attention regulation, and executive functioning. In our study, we investigated the effects of a short mindfulness exercise on physical performance in a state with temporarily depleted self-control strength (ego depletion). We applied a mixed between- (ego depletion: yes vs. no) and within- (two times of measurement, 7 days apart; mindfulness: yes vs. no; order counterbalanced) subjects design to test our hypothesis in a sample of 34 sport students. Ego depletion was manipulated via a well-established transcription task. For the manipulation of mindfulness, participants performed a 4-min mindfulness exercise via audio in the mindfulness condition and listened to an audiobook in the control condition. As a dependent variable, participants performed a previously validated strenuous physical exercise (plank exercise) for as long as possible, and we measured the relative difference between the baseline measurement and the second trial. We found no interaction effect, meaning that a short mindfulness exercise was not able to compensate for the detrimental ego depletion effect. In future studies, potential mechanisms should be assessed to reveal the ego depletion effect on physical exercise performance.Lay summary: In our study, we investigated the effects of a short mindfulness meditation exercise on physical performance (isometric plank exercise) in a state with temporarily depleted self-control strength (ego depletion). This short mindfulness exercise (breathing meditation) was not able to compensate for the detrimental ego depletion effect on physical exercise performance.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for the Recovery of Mental Fatigue: A Systematic Review International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health June 26, 2022
- Ego-depletion and motor skill performance under pressure-experimental effects of a short term virtual-reality based mindfulness breathing meditation with integrated biofeedback. Scientific Reports July 30, 2024
- Do brief mindfulness-based interventions improve sport-related performance? A systematic review Frontiers in Public Health February 5, 2026
- A brief body scan mindfulness practice has no positive effect on the recovery of heart rate variability and cognitive tasks in female professional basketball players. Frontiers in Psychology May 31, 2023
Cites 12
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- The toronto mindfulness scale: Development and validation Journal of Clinical Psychology 2006
- What does mindfulness really mean? A canonical perspective Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011
- Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. Emotion February 6, 2012
- An empirical study of the mechanisms of mindfulness in a mindfulness‐based stress reduction program Journal of Clinical Psychology March 6, 2009
and 7 more in the library