Ten weeks of group meditation left students no different from a waiting group
Who it’s about: Students
- No difference
Students who had ten weeks of group meditation ended up putting things off about as much as the waiting group.
- Action: Practise mindfulnesstested
- Rule: Every daytested
- Rule: Practise with a groupused
- Rule: In weekly sessionsused
Small randomised trial of 42 first-year university students in Spain · vs students who were still waiting for the course · they rated themselves · ⚠ only counted people who finished; summary claims more than the results show
The study
Who took part
51 first-year students at a university in Almeria, Spain, took part. 42 were counted at the end: 22 who meditated and 20 who waited. They were about 20 years old, and most were women.
What they did
The meditation group had a 90-minute group session each week for ten weeks, led by an experienced teacher. They were also asked to do a 10-minute body scan and 20 minutes of focus on their breathing at home every day. The waiting group got the same course after the study.
What happened
At the end and four months later, both groups rated themselves as putting things off about the same amount. The meditation group's scores dropped over time, but they started higher than the waiting group. The paper's summary claims more than its results show. People who skipped sessions or home practice were left out of the count.
Source
Reducing Academic Procrastination in Spanish University Students through a Mindfulness-Based Intervention (2025)
DOI: 10.25115/ecp.v18i38.10569 (opens in a new tab)
