The Effect of Brief Mindfulness Meditation on Cold-Pressor Induced Pain Responses in Healthy Adults
D. Burnett, G. Phillips, O. Tashani
Conference on Privacy, Security and Trust April 28, 2017 DOI: 10.4236/pst.2017.52002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 24 |
| Population | Healthy university-aged individuals naive to mindfulness meditation |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 10-minute intervention between two cold-pressor tasks; no follow-up reported |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | A single 10-minute mindfulness meditation session guided by a novice therapist significantly reduced anxiety towards pain and increased pain threshold and pain tolerance times compared with a control group that sat quietly. The authors suggest this brief intervention can improve pain responses in naive healthy young adults. |
Abstract
We hypothesised a 10 minute mindfulness based intervention performed by a novice therapist would have a beneficial effect on pain responses in naive participants. Twenty-four participants were randomly assigned to the control group or mindfulness meditation group. The control group sat quietly for 10 minutes in between two cold pressor tasks. The mindfulness meditation intervention group practiced 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation in between cold-pressor tasks following standardised mindfulness of breathing meditation technique instructions provided by a male investigator. A significant interaction effect was found between anxiety towards pain ratings (pre-intervention vs. post-intervention) and intervention (F = 6.29, p = 0.02). There was a significant decrease (t = 4.07, p = 0.002) in anxiety towards pain ratings in the mindfulness meditation group following intervention. A significant interaction effect was found between pain threshold times (pre-intervention vs. post-intervention) and intervention (F = 18.45, p < 0.001). There was a significant increase (t = -4.38, p = 0.001) in pain threshold times in the mindfulness meditation group following intervention. A significant interaction effect was found between pain tolerance times (pre-intervention vs. post-intervention) and intervention (F = 18.34, p < 0.001). A significant increase (t = -4.20, p = 0.001) in pain tolerance times in the mindfulness meditation group following intervention was also found. The results suggest a single 10 minute mindfulness meditation intervention administered by a novice therapist can improve pain tolerance, pain threshold and decrease anxiety towards pain in na?ve healthy university aged individuals.
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 4
- The Effects of Mindfulness‐Based Intervention on Cognitive Functions in Tertiary Students: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis Applied Cognitive Psychology May 1, 2025
- The Impact of Understanding and Openness on State Mindfulness Following a Brief Meditation: A Sham Controlled Study Mindfulness August 1, 2025
- The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in acute pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis Pain August 1, 2020
- Mindfulness-Based Analgesia or Placebo Effect? The Development and Evaluation of a Sham Mindfulness Intervention for Acute Experimental Pain. Psychosomatic Medicine
Cites 4
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- The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine June 1985