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How does mindfulness meditation reduce stress?Autonomic and endocrinological variation by meditation style 
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"Mindfulness meditation" can reduce stress by manipulating our attention. However, the physiological mechanisms have not yet been clarified. In this study, we examined how mindfulness meditation changes the activities of autonomic nerves and secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Because mindfulness meditation mainly consists of "focused attention" and "open monitoring" meditation, we developed vocal instructions for each. We measured heart rates and took saliva samples to evaluate the strength of autonomic activities and cortisol levels, respectively. We found that focused attention meditation increased parasympathetic activity, while open monitoring meditation increased sympathetic activity with the reduction of cortisol levels. We hope to reveal the physiological, psychological, and neural mechanisms of mindfulness mediation and develop new types of meditation based on our scientific findings. We think we can contribute to people's well-being through social implementation of new types of meditation in the future.
[1] Y. Ooishi, M. Fujino, V.Inoue, M. Nomura, N.Kitagawa, “Differential effects of focused attention and open monitoring meditation on autonomic cardiac modulation and cortisol secretion,” Front. Physiol., Vol. 12, 675899, 2021.
Yuuki Ooishi / Sensory Resonance Research Group, Human and Information Science Laboratory
Email: cs-openhouse-ml@hco.ntt.co.jp