Effects of Brief and Sham Mindfulness Meditation on Mood and Cardiovascular Variables

Three days of brief mindfulness meditation training (one hour total) reduced negative mood, depression, fatigue, confusion, and heart rate in 82 undergraduates with no prior meditation experience, compared to both a sham meditation group and a control group. The improvements exceeded those attributable to demand characteristics, indicating genuine beneficial effects of brief meditation on mood and cardiovascular variables.

Study at a glance

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Although long-term meditation has been found to reduce negative mood and cardiovascular variables, the effects of a brief mindfulness meditation intervention when compared to a sham mindfulness meditation intervention are relatively unknown. This experiment examined whether a 3-day (1-hour total) mindfulness or sham mindfulness meditation intervention would improve mood and cardiovascular variables when compared to a control group. METHODS: Eighty-two (82) undergraduate students (34 males, 48 females), with no prior meditation experience, participated in three sessions that involved training in either mindfulness meditation, sham mindfulness meditation, or a control group. Heart rate, blood pressure, and psychologic variables (Profile of Mood States, State Anxiety Inventory) were assessed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The meditation intervention was more effective at reducing negative mood, depression, fatigue, confusion, and heart rate, when compared to the sham and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that brief meditation training has beneficial effects on mood and cardiovascular variables that go beyond the demand characteristics of a sham meditation intervention.