Mindfulness

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation has been used as a technique to reduce levels of stress and improve mood. In this study, we examined whether mindfulness meditation can be used as a technique to improve mood. The participants in this study were undergraduate psychology students from California State University, Channel Islands. First, participants’ resting HRV (heart rate variability) was recorded for five minutes. Next, all participants completed the Brief Mood Introspection Scale (BMIS). Participants who received the intervention watched a ten-minute mindfulness video from Headspace on YouTube (“A 10-Minute Meditation for Stress from Headspace”). Participants in the control group were tasked to fill out a printed-out crossword puzzle for ten minutes. After ten minutes, each participant’s HRV was recorded again for five minutes. Lastly, all participants completed the BMIS. This study proposes that participants who experience the mindfulness meditation activity report having a more positive mood and increased heart rate variability, compared to those in the control group, who will engage in a crossword puzzle intervention.

Details

Session 1

9:30am – 11:00am

Grand Salon