PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Mind training, stress and behaviour-A randomised experiment.

  • Yonas Alem,
  • Hannah Behrendt,
  • Michèle Belot,
  • Anikó Bíró

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258172
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 11
p. e0258172

Abstract

Read online

In this paper, we evaluate the effects of a psychological training, called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on stress and risk and time preferences. MBSR is a well-known psychological technique, which is believed to improve self-control and reduce stress. We conduct the experiment with 139 participants, half of whom receive the MBSR training, while the other half are asked to watch a documentary series, both over 4 consecutive weeks. Using a range of self-reported and physiological measures (such as cortisol measures), we find evidence that mindfulness training reduces perceived stress, but we only find weak evidence of effects on risk and inter-temporal attitudes.