Facing the waves of negative mood: Trait mindfulness moderates the links between physiology and emotion

In 25 participants from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, trait mindfulness moderates how cortisol reductions after a negative Mood Induction Procedure relate to sadness and anxiety.

• Why it matters: Stress links to depression and anxiety, but the biological-to-emotion pathways through which mindfulness helps are not fully explained.
• What they did: Participants completed questionnaires and negative and positive mood inductions, then provided salivary cortisol samples before and after negative MIPs, alongside mood reactivity ratings.
• The result: After the negative MIP, sadness and anxiety were associated with greater cortisol reductions, and trait mindfulness moderated these links, informing how mindfulness may buffer negative emotional responses.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.