The Effects of Short Video-App-Guided Loving-Kindness Meditation on Affect, Oneness, and Proenvironmental Attitude

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: The study investigated the effects of a short video-app-guided loving-kindness meditation (LKM) on affect, oneness belief, and proenvironmenal behavior. Methods: We recruited 93 college students from a university in China and randomized them to an LKM group (n = 47) and a wait-list control group (n = 46). The app-group engaged in an 8-week LKM intervention, while the wait-list control group underwent no intervention. We measured five major variable factors (positive affect, negative affect, oneness belief, and proenvironmenal behavior) before and after the LKM intervention. Results: In the app-group, oneness belief, positive affect, and proenvironmenal behavior were significantly higher and negative affect was significantly lower than in the wait-list control group. The wait-list control group displayed no noticeable differences in any of the four variants[variables??] between the pretest and posttest. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the short video-app-guided LKM may help to improve oneness belief, positive affect, proenvironmenal behavior and reduce negative affect. The finding of the short video-app-guided LKM’s effect extends our understanding of the integrative effects of positive psychology and digital media on proenvironmenal behavior.

Keywords

• short video app
• loving-kindness meditation
• affect
• oneness belief
• proenvironmenal attitude