Meditation and Stress Mitigation Can Be Learned Online

A group of investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) say that virtual environments can be used to teach people how to meditate, but also how to handle their stress levels better, contributing to improving their well-being.

Several studies have proven that meditation can improve people's state of mind, reduce depression and anxiety, and improve self-control, among other beneficial effects. Being able to teach this skill online could be a great advantage for those who want to learn it.

“Our finding that a medical intervention – in this case teaching a mind/body approach that includes the relaxation response – can be delivered via a virtual environment is important because these environments are richer and more rewarding than simply using interactive web sites,” Daniel Hoch, MD, PhD, explains.

The expert is the corresponding author of the new research, PsychCentral reports. Details of the study appear in the latest issue of the online open-access journal PLoS ONE.