The effect of mindfulness on attention

Abstract

The aim of this study was to research if a brief mindfulness training influences attention scores and whether depressive symptoms influence this relationship. Therefore, 82 participants of both sexes (54 females and 28 males), with a wide age range (19-61) and a variety of depressive symptoms (21-51) were recruited either to be assigned to the experimental condition including a brief mindfulness training or the control condition without the mindfulness training. Attention was measured using the D2 task before and after the experiment to show possible improvement. From this research, it can be concluded that attention improves over time since results were found to be significant. The results between groups and in combination with depressive symptoms lacked significance. To optimize the effectiveness of a brief mindfulness training to improve attention, especially in combination with depressive symptoms, further research is necessary.