This study is testing whether a short, daily, app-based meditation can help young adults feel better in their everyday lives. Adults aged 18-40 years who live in the United States and have not meditated regularly (defined as more than four times per week at any point in their lives) are invited to participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups for 4 weeks: 1. Intervention group: Participants will complete a 7-minute Miracle of Mind meditation each day using a mobile app. 2. Active comparator group: Participants will listen to a neutral 7-minute audio lesson each day. 3. Control group: Participants will continue their usual daily routine without adding anything new. All participants will complete brief online surveys at the start of the study and several times during the 4-week study period. Surveys will ask about mood, stress, anxiety, overall well-being, and mindfulness. Participants who already wear a smartwatch, such as a Fitbit or Apple Watch, may choose to share heart rate and related data so that researchers can examine whether meditation may also affect physical signs of stress. Investigators will compare changes over time among the three groups to determine whether the daily 7-minute meditation helps young adults feel better, experience less stress, and become more emotionally resilient.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
354
Miracle of Mind is a 7-minute meditation that incorporates breath and awareness to enhance mental health and clarity. The practice involves voice-guided seated meditation with simple breathing techniques. This is a simple, safe intervention that does not require any previous meditation experience.
Active control participants are asked to listen to an approximately 7-minute neutral audio learning task daily in the 3Cs app for the duration of the study. A total of 28 audio learning tasks were sourced from the SDG Academy and Harvard University YouTube and SoundCloud content were screened prior to inclusion.
Well-being
To assess whether a 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves mental well-being, as measured by the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The WHO-5 total raw score ranges from 0 to 25 where higher scores indicate better mental well-being.
Time frame: "Baseline, Week 2 and Week 4"
Mindfulness
To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves mindfulness, as measured by the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). The MAAS mean score ranges from 1 to 6; higher scores indicate greater dispositional mindfulness and attention to present-moment experiences.
Time frame: "Baseline and 4 weeks"
Overall health
To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves overall health, as measured by the Whole Person Health Index (WPHI). The WPHI is a 9-item self-reported measure where total scores range from 9 to 45. Higher scores indicate better overall self-reported whole-person health.
Time frame: "Baseline, Week 2 and Week 4"
Stress
To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks reduces psychological distress, as measured by the Schwartz Outcome Scale-10 (SOS-10). The SOS-10 total score ranges from 0 to 60. Higher scores indicate better psychological well-being and functioning, and lower levels of psychological distress.
Time frame: "Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4"
Anxiety
To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks reduces anxiety, as measured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety Short Form 8a. The PROMIS Anxiety Short Form 8a includes 8 items, each scored from 1 to 5. The summed raw score ranges from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety symptoms and a worse outcome.
Time frame: "Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4"
Positive and Negative Affect
To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves emotional well-being, as measured by the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). The SPANE is a 12-item self-reported measure consisting of two 6-item subscales: Positive Experience (SPANE-P) and Negative Experience (SPANE-N). The SPANE-P score ranges from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating more frequent positive emotions. The SPANE-N score ranges from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating more frequent negative emotions and a worse outcome. The SPANE Balance score (SPANE-B) is calculated as SPANE-P minus SPANE-N and ranges from -24 to 24. Higher scores indicate a more favorable balance of positive relative to negative emotional experiences and a better outcome.
Time frame: "Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4"
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