The Human Genome Center at the Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo and Garmin Japan Co., Ltd. will start joint research on "verification of the effects of mindfulness meditation on heart rate variability using mobile health technology."
Mindfulness is the psychological process of being aware of events and experiences occurring in the present moment with receptive attention.This mindfulness nurturing meditation is a modern mental training that has been re-edited as a de-religion from traditional Buddhist religious practices.In recent years, research on meditation has increased rapidly, triggered by the fact that mindfulness meditation (hereafter referred to as meditation) has been shown to be effective in reducing chronic pain and preventing the recurrence of depression. It has been shown to be useful for improving insomnia and promoting health*.
In this joint research, data-driven science using mobile health technology will be used to examine the effects of meditation on stress.
As a research content, heart rate data is acquired from a Garmin smartwatch and it is verified whether continuous meditation changes the heart rate pattern in daily life.For that purpose, we collect information on sleep and steps taken, collect information on stress and activity status in real time using a smartphone app, and collect information on stress, exercise, sleep, etc. by post-questionnaire survey, and integrate those data. We plan to conduct a detailed analysis.
In addition, research participants will be solicited in order to carry out the research as participatory research in which participants are widely recruited from the general public.Recruit continuous mindfulness meditation practitioners and inexperienced participants as study participants.In addition, we will also collect data from running enthusiasts and examine the difference in the impact of mental and physical training on heart rate variability in daily life.
The results obtained from this study make it possible to objectively measure the effects of meditation on reducing stress using mobile health technology.In addition, if we can develop a smartwatch app based on the research results and make meditation more popular, we can expect to contribute to reducing stress, improving insomnia, and promoting health throughout society.
■Article information: [Annual review of psychology] Mindfulness interventions
