Effects of Meditative Practices on Acute Stress-Induced Cortisol Levels: a systematic review

Abstract

Meditative practices are recognized for their potential to reduce stress. These have a wide variety of techniques and styles and when inserted in the multidisciplinarity of the field of stress, their line of research acquires peculiar methodological characteristics with investigative diversification. In this context, this qualitative systematic review aims to review the main methodological aspects of the research that investigated the potential of meditation in the regulation of cortisol induced by acute stress reactivity tasks, as well as the characteristics of the meditative practices used, which, according to the authors, are differentials in stress management and considered relevant to this line of research. The research was carried out on the PubMed and Web of Science platforms. It was included seven original studies that used a task of reactivity to acute stress and with cortisol as the main biological marker. Interventions with an emphasis on social cognitive skills and emotional regulation had better results in lowering cortisol than practices focused solely on cognitive development. In the discussion, aspects such as practice time, skills improvement and emotional regulation were highlighted. This review contributes to elucidate the psychological mechanisms underlying meditative practices as well as the relevant methodological aspects.