Clinical Research Directory

Effect of a Brief Daily Digital Meditation on Well-Being in US Young Adults (BEGIN II)

This study is testing whether a short, daily, app-based meditation can help young adults feel better in their everyday lives. We will invite about 354 adults between 18 and 40 years old who live in the United States to join. Everyone who joins will be randomly placed into one of three groups for 4 weeks: Intervention group will do a 7-minute Miracle of Mind meditation each day using a phone app. Active comparator group will listen to a neutral 7-minute audio lesson each day. Control group will continue their usual daily routine without adding anything new. All participants will answer short online surveys at the start and several times during the 4 weeks, sharing how they feel about their mood, stress, anxiety, overall well-being, and mindfulness. Participants who already wear a smartwatch (like a Fitbit or Apple Watch) can choose to share their heart rate-related data so we can see whether the meditation might also affect physical signs of stress. Investigators will compare how participants in the three groups change over time to see if the daily 7-minute meditation helps young adults feel better, less stressed, and more emotionally resilient.

Biomarkers of Environment Sensitivity

Most of the common mental disorders are heritable to a certain extent but environmental factors have an important role influencing whether the disorder will develop or not. These factors can be negative (e.g. loss of job or death of a loved one) that increase the risk of disorders but also positive (e.g. friends that provide support in need or doing sport regularly) that prevent the development of symptoms. This study investigates whether those who are sensitive to negative impacts may be also more sensitive to positive circumstances. If this is true, improving the environment of these people, for example offering psychotherapy, may help them more than to those who are not sensitive to the environment. More than 500 000 participants' genetic data is used to investigate which genetic factors are associated with sensitivity to environment. This information will be used to determine genetic sensitivity to environment in independent participants who went through functional magnetic resonance brain imaging. Therefore, the study will examine whether sensitive and non-sensitive peoples' brain respond differently to positive and negative stimuli. Finally, tests will determine how sensitivity to environment influences the effectiveness of an intervention that psychologists use to improve stress coping in young adults. This method aims to identify biomarkers to predict the effectiveness of this intervention. In summary, the study will enhance the understanding of why some people are more sensitive to environmental influences and how this information can be utilized to select the most suitable therapy for them.