Effect of Mindfulness Intervention on Cognition and Emotion in Table Tennis College Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Mindfulness (Mind) intervention as a psychological treatment is adopted in the sports field, its effect during competition has not been fully explored yet. This study examined the impact on cognitive performance following laboratory-controlled mindfulness intervention lasting 16 weeks. In a single-blind randomized crossover design, 90 college table tennis athletes meeting inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to either a control (Con) group or a mindfulness (Mind) group. The Mind group underwent a 16-week mindfulness intervention (8 minutes/session, 4 sessions/week) after training, while the Con group continued with life-as-usual at that time. Cognition, cerebral oxygenation, emotion state, salivary cortisol, and mental fatigue were measured at baseline (pretest) and post-intervention (posttest). Long-term mindfulness intervention significantly improved cognitive performance, e.g., attention concentrativeness, attention span, distractibility, instantaneous memory, short-term memory, long-term memory, supported by eliciting increased oxyhemoglobin concentration in the left and right medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). A better emotional state and a lower mental fatigue level as well as lower cortisol concentration were observed in the Mind group than in the Con group after the intervention at posttest. A 16-week mindfulness intervention can improve emotional state, reduce subjective fatigue, improve cognition and increase cerebral oxygenation. In general, mindfulness training is recommended for table tennis athletes during competition.