Meditation App Use May Decrease State Anxiety

Abstract The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between a meditation app and anxiety. The effect of a free 13 minute guided meditation exercise (Take a Break!) on State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores was evaluated in a normative sample of 75 undergraduate students. The only significant group difference was for state anxiety after intervention, such that the meditation group had lower state anxiety after meditation than the control group after waiting. This is an important finding because everyday life presents many challenges that increase anxiety, and having a tool that simply takes a 13 minute break is very valuable. Most people of all ages always have a cell phone with them which would make the this app very available in times of stress. This very brief intervention could be used in many settings, such as work, schools, sports, and home. Having a tool that has been validated empirically would give great credibility to suggesting it’s use in these settings.