Online Trial of Meditation and Behavior

Identifying Neural Correlates of Altruism

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04632875

Enrollment

Registered

2020-11-17

Start date

2020-12-04

Completion date

2021-06-10

Last updated

2021-06-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Meditation

Brief summary

This study investigates how different types of meditation may affect behaviors and emotions. The study is conducted entirely online and involves listening to 4-weeks of a guided meditation training. The meditation involves either Loving-Kindness or Relaxation techniques. The purpose of the study is to assess changes in behaviors and emotions using standard questionnaires, reports of real-world behavior, and online behavioral tasks. The overarching goal is to help clarify how mind-body practices may improve some aspects of well-being.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALLoving-Kindness Meditation

Approximately 15-minute sessions are administered 6 days per week

BEHAVIORALRelaxation Meditation

Approximately 15-minute sessions are administered 6 days per week

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 55 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Is a medically healthy individual * Lives in the United States * Has reliable internet access and the ability to join a Zoom video chat

Exclusion criteria

* Has experience with meditation or other mind-body practices * Has a neurological disease * Has a current psychiatric disorder * Is on medication that affects the central nervous system (e.g. psychotropic drugs) * Has recurrent or chronic pain * Is pregnant or planning to become pregnant

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Social functioning	4-5 weeks	Participants will complete a questionnaire about their real-world social behaviors. An aggregate score will be computed; higher scores will indicate better social functioning.
Affective responses	4-5 weeks	Participants will perform a wall-sit test and responses will be measured using a 0-100 Visual Analog Scale of intensity.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Psychological well-being related to COVID-19	4-5 weeks	Participants will complete a questionnaire related to the psychological impact of COVID-19 social distancing. Higher scores will indicate worse psychological impact of COVID-19.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026