A Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention Reduces Emotional Eating Via the Alleviation of Negative Emotions
Xiao-Xuan Ren, Wan-Jun Huang, Hong Yuan, Xiao-Dan Gao
Mindfulness May 11, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-026-02869-9 (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 121 |
| Population | Non-clinical sample of female undergraduate students |
| Interventions | Mindful breathing Mindful eating |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | After negative mood induction, participants who practiced mindful breathing and mindful eating consumed significantly fewer calories in an ad libitum eating task than distraction and control groups. Reduced negative emotions partially mediated this effect, and the mindfulness group showed higher satiety awareness during and after the mindful eating phase. |
Abstract
Emotional eating is a widespread maladaptive coping strategy that may increase the risk of clinical eating disorders. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a brief, dual-component mindfulness-based intervention in mitigating acute emotional eating among a non-clinical sample of young women. In this study, female undergraduate students (n = 121) were randomly assigned to a mindfulness group, a distraction group, or a control group after negative emotion induction. The mindfulness group practiced mindful breathing followed by mindful eating of a small snack, while the distraction group consumed the same snack while watching a video clip, and the control group consumed the snack only. All participants then completed an ad libitum eating task. The mindfulness group consumed significantly fewer calories than both the control and distraction groups, F(2, 118) = 21.35, p < 0.001. These effects were partially mediated by reduced negative emotions, β = -0.16, p = 0.02. Furthermore, during and after the mindful eating phase, the mindfulness group maintained significantly higher levels of satiety awareness compared to the control groups, F(2, 118) = 6.38, p = 0.002. These findings provide initial evidence that even a brief, integrated mindfulness-based practice can reduce emotional eating, supporting its feasibility as a valuable strategy for subclinical emotional eating and highlighting specific mechanisms for future research. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.
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
Cites 15
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise PLoS One March 25, 2008
- An Exploratory Study of a Meditation-based Intervention for Binge Eating Disorder Journal of Health Psychology May 1, 1999
- Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. Emotion February 6, 2012
- Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training for Treating Binge Eating Disorder: The Conceptual Foundation Eating Disorders December 21, 2010
and 10 more in the library