title: Can Inner Peace be Improved by Mindfulness Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: This article reports a randomized controlled trial to investigate whether mindfulness training can successfully improve inner peace in participants with no known mental disorder. Fifty-seven participants were randomized to either mindfulness training (n = 29) or wait-list control (n = 28). The experience sampling method was used to measure the fleeting momentary experience of inner peace in participants. In addition, we used an experimental approach to assessing ability to focus attention: the Meditation Breath Attention Score, as well as the self-report Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Compared with the wait-list control group, mindfulness training led to an increase in scores of inner peace, Meditation Breath Attention Score and FFMQ, using analysis of repeated measures analysis of variance. Change in inner peace was not, however, mediated by changes in self-rated mindfulness (FFMQ) nor by increased attentional focus. The findings provide first evidence suggesting that using mindfulness training improves the participants' inner peace. The focus here was on the immediate effects and future studies need to use follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xinghua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yuzheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: J Mark G
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods*; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000379:methods*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ESM; inner peace; mindfulness; randomized controlled trial