Acta psychologica
July 1, 2019
P A Hancock, A D Kaplan, J K Cruit et al.
40 citations
An altered sense of time is one of nine dimensions characterizing the flow state. A meta-analysis of 63 studies (1,094 effect sizes) found moderately positive correlations between affective aspects of flow and time perception (r = 0.4), consciousness aspects (r = 0.21), and performance-based aspects (r = 0.17), supporting the original conceptualization of their role in generating and maintaining flow. Variations in physical and social environmental conditions had differential effects on the overall level of experienced flow. The results inform further model development to quantify and predict temporal perception as a metric of flow.
Acta psychologica
November 1, 2023
Bence Szaszkó, Rebecca Rosa Schmid, Ulrich Pomper et al.
20 citations
An eight-week Hatha Yoga program for healthy yoga novices aged 18 to 40 reduced self-reported stress and stress reactivity and increased mindfulness, compared to a waitlist control group. However, the intervention did not significantly change state or trait anxiety, nor did it improve participants' ability to suppress distractions. The stress reductions were not explained by changes in distractor suppression, which remained unaffected. The findings suggest that regular Hatha Yoga practice can improve certain mental health outcomes without directly altering cognitive functions related to distraction suppression.
Acta psychologica
November 1, 2024
Xiaofan Yan, Xiaojie Wang, Yanli Chen et al.
11 citations
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training improved psychological resilience, posttraumatic growth, life satisfaction, and mindful attention awareness, and reduced depression, anxiety, and PTSD intrusive symptoms among medical students at a military college. A total of 372 students completed questionnaires before, after, and one month following the intervention; a control group did not receive MBSR. The MBSR group showed significant improvements not seen in controls, and most gains were partly maintained one month later. The findings suggest MBSR can benefit mental health in this high-stress population.
Acta psychologica
October 1, 2023
Anna F Leyland, Myrthe G B M Boekhorst, Julia E Offermans et al.
5 citations
Trait mindfulness, particularly the non-judging facet, protects against anxiety and pregnancy-specific distress during pregnancy and after childbirth. In a longitudinal study of pregnant women assessed at 12, 22, and 32 weeks gestation and 6 weeks postpartum, mindfulness facets measured at 22 weeks were negatively linked to general anxiety at all later time points and to pregnancy-specific distress at 22 and 32 weeks. Non-judging showed the largest protective effect, surpassing partner involvement and other known risk factors. Mindfulness training emphasizing attitudinal aspects may benefit pregnant women at risk for high anxiety.
Acta psychologica
April 1, 2026
Xianhua Zhang, Enqin Yan
2 citations
Mindfulness is positively linked to professional identity among early childhood education teachers, both directly and indirectly through psychological resilience and well-being. A survey of 854 full-time kindergarten teachers in Shandong Province, China, found that mindfulness directly predicted professional identity (β = 0.15). Psychological resilience mediated 55.5% of the total indirect effect, and well-being mediated 22.6%. A sequential pathway through resilience then well-being also contributed. The findings suggest that mindfulness enhances professional identity by boosting resilience and well-being, supporting the integration of mindfulness-based interventions in teacher training to improve emotion regulation and sustainable professional development.
Acta psychologica
May 1, 2025
Fengbo Liu, Qingyang Yu, Shichang Cai et al.
2 citations
Brief mindfulness training improved athletes' mindfulness and reduced negative mood and burnout. In a randomized experiment, 60 athletes were assigned to either a mindfulness training group or a control group. After training, the mindfulness group showed significantly higher mindfulness scores and significantly lower burnout and mood disturbance scores compared to the control group. A moderation analysis indicated that the effect of mindfulness training on mood depended on athletes' initial burnout level, suggesting that athletes with higher burnout may benefit more from the intervention.
Acta psychologica
June 20, 2025
Ivaylo Borislavov Iotchev, Hein Thomas van Schie
1 citation
The equivalence hypothesis claims that conscious and unconscious perception rely on the same brain areas. This paper argues that interpretation is incompatible with the biased competition model, where different interpretations of reality compete and one must be suppressed. In that framework, a representation is defined not only by active information but also by suppressed information. Currently, there is no evidence that primes can suppress alternative interpretations. Biased competition explains why primes often merely bias the agent rather than becoming real targets for behavior. The theoretical proposal awaits further empirical investigation.
Acta psychologica
May 1, 2025
Philippine Chachignon, Emmanuelle Le Barbenchon, Lionel Dany et al.
1 citation
People without mental health conditions tend to see themselves as having a more complex and positive personality than others, combining opposing positive traits. In contrast, individuals with depression see themselves as more complex in negative traits, lacking self-enhancing strategies linked to psychological health. In a study of 24 participants with depression and anxiety disorders who completed an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention, measures of trait mindfulness, anxiety, depression, and self-compassion all improved. Participants showed reduced self-negativity and a more positive view of others, though they still viewed themselves more negatively than others. The multifaceted self concept offers a useful approach for assessing mental health changes in mindfulness interventions.
Acta psychologica
March 1, 2026
Michael Kimmel
Expert performance in real-world settings involves fluidly blending multiple types of competencies. A review of skill theories in the motor domain reveals that cognitivist approaches emphasize conceptual and knowledge-based control, while 4E cognition theories stress sensorimotor coupling; both are too limited alone but complementary. Different mechanisms—such as sensorimotor cognition, body reflexivity, action imagery, strategic control, and declarative knowledge—become dynamically entangled in skilled behavior. To study this interfacing, high-grainsize qualitative process analysis ('coalescence analysis') is needed. The author argues against attempts to assimilate higher cognition into sensorimotor frameworks, instead endorsing a view of functional integration where higher cognition is treated on its own terms yet dynamically embedded in embodied couplings.