What is it about?
Mindfulness is a popular clinical and therapeutic technique that is now being used outside of clinical settings. Until recently there was little investigation of whether mindfulness was actually having any effect in non-clinical settings, especially short, online, self-guided practices. This paper tests whether there are any changes in self-reported levels of mindfulness after completing an online, 5-minute mindful breathing exercise. The results showed that participants who did the 5-minute exercise scored higher than those who did not, and their mindfulness levels increased from before to after the 5-minute practice.
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Why is it important?
This research is one of the first direct investigations of whether a short mindfulness exercise elicits any effect on measures of mindfulness. Given that almost anyone can access various types of mindfulness practice online or via smartphone apps, this research is a timely account of whether these may actually be useful.
Perspectives
Considering the huge interest in mobile phone apps and websites dedicated to mindfulness, it is timely and essential that researchers evaluate the effectiveness of different types of mindfulness exercise.
Dr Lynsey Aisha Mahmood
City University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Moment of Mindfulness: Computer-Mediated Mindfulness Practice Increases State Mindfulness, PLoS ONE, April 2016, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153923.
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