A new study led by Felipe Rojas-Thomas, Principal Investigator at the Emotion and Social Decisions Lab (ESDLab), has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. The research explores whether yoga-based meditation may be associated with changes in self-regulation, cognitive performance, and psychological well-being among medical students.
The study, titled “Yoga-based meditation improves self-regulation and well-being in medical students: a pilot study,” was developed by an interdisciplinary team and included the participation of Luis-Sebastián Contreras-Huerta, Principal Investigator at ESDLab, and Diego Garrido, PhD student supervised by Contreras-Huerta, alongside researchers from several Chilean universities.
Meditation in a demanding academic environment
Medical education can involve sustained academic pressure, high cognitive demands, and emotionally challenging experiences. Against this background, the researchers investigated whether a structured meditation practice could be associated with changes in some of the cognitive and psychological processes involved in self-regulation.
The pilot study followed 40 undergraduate medical students participating in a four-week yoga-based meditation program focused on relaxation, body awareness, and attention to breathing. Before and after the program, researchers assessed psychological indicators—including anxiety, stress, depression, mindfulness, and well-being—as well as cognitive performance in working memory, episodic memory, and sustained attention.
Following the intervention, participants reported lower levels of anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms, alongside higher psychological well-being and global mindfulness scores. The researchers also observed pre-to-post changes in cognitive performance, including improvements in working and episodic memory and changes in attentional response patterns.
Because this was a pilot study using a single-group pre-post design, the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that meditation directly caused these changes. Rather, they provide preliminary evidence supporting further research into contemplative practices as potentially accessible and scalable tools for supporting students in highly demanding educational environments.
The publication also highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in studying how cognitive processes, self-regulation, and psychological well-being interact in real-world educational contexts.
At ESDLab, we are excited to see this work contribute to a growing line of research examining the cognitive and psychological mechanisms that can support human well-being.
Want to learn more?
Read the full scientific article here
