Internationale Zeitschrift für Schul- und Kognitionspsychologie
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Meditation Practices and Stress Reactivity: A Comprehensive Exploration of Psychological, Physiological, and Neurobiological Dimensions

Vidaki Athina*

Psychological stressors have the potential to induce distress, leading to autonomic arousal and the activation of stress responses. Prolonged or persistent stress can disrupt the feedback mechanisms of the stress response, resulting in increased cortisol levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines. These physiological changes may contribute to damage in brain regions responsible for mood and emotion regulation. Our hypothesis posits that the extent of the stress response to psychological stressors is influenced by various modifiable psychological processes, such as an individual's level of self-compassion, dispositional mindfulness, inclination to ruminate, and attentional bias. Moreover, we suggest that the impact of psychological stressors on the stress response can be mitigated by influencing these psychological processes. Meditation practices, we propose, have the potential to decrease stress and enhance mood by reducing stress reactivity at psychological, physiological, and neurobiological levels. This concept is explored in detail in our narrative review.