Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not yet recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07607782

Effect of a Brief Daily Digital Meditation on Well-Being in US Young Adults (BEGIN II)

This study is testing whether a short, daily, app-based meditation can help young adults feel better in their everyday lives.

Adults aged 18-40 years who live in the United States and have not meditated regularly (defined as more than four times per week at any point in their lives) are invited to participate.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups for 4 weeks:

1. Intervention group: Participants will complete a 7-minute Miracle of Mind meditation each day using a mobile app. 2. Active comparator group: Participants will listen to a neutral 7-minute audio lesson each day. 3. Control group: Participants will continue their usual daily routine without adding anything new.

All participants will complete brief online surveys at the start of the study and several times during the 4-week study period. Surveys will ask about mood, stress, anxiety, overall well-being, and mindfulness.

Participants who already wear a smartwatch, such as a Fitbit or Apple Watch, may choose to share heart rate and related data so that researchers can examine whether meditation may also affect physical signs of stress.

Investigators will compare changes over time among the three groups to determine whether the daily 7-minute meditation helps young adults feel better, experience less stress, and become more emotionally resilient.

Not yet recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Age range

18 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Individuals between the ages of 18-40 years
  • Currently residing in the USA
  • Individuals who are English speaking
  • Willing and able to download an application on iOS/Android

Exclusion criteria

  • Individuals who are non-English speaking
  • Unable to access an iOS/Android smartphone
  • Individuals who regularly practice any form of meditation >4 times per week
  • Individuals scoring 9-12 on the PHQ-4, or ≥3 on either the PHQ-2 or GAD-2 subscale

Treatment and study plan

Miracle of Mind meditation

Behavioral

Miracle of Mind is a 7-minute meditation that incorporates breath and awareness to enhance mental health and clarity. The practice involves voice-guided seated meditation with simple breathing techniques. This is a simple, safe intervention that does not require any previous meditation experience.

Neutral audio learning task

Behavioral

Active control participants are asked to listen to an approximately 7-minute neutral audio learning task daily in the 3Cs app for the duration of the study. A total of 28 audio learning tasks were sourced from the SDG Academy and Harvard University YouTube and SoundCloud content were screened prior to inclusion.

Primary outcomes

  1. Well-being

    Time frame: "Baseline, Week 2 and Week 4"

    To assess whether a 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves mental well-being, as measured by the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The WHO-5 total raw score ranges from 0 to 25 where higher scores indicate better mental well-being.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Mindfulness

    Time frame: "Baseline and 4 weeks"

    To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves mindfulness, as measured by the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). The MAAS mean score ranges from 1 to 6; higher scores indicate greater dispositional mindfulness and attention to present-moment experiences.

  2. Overall health

    Time frame: "Baseline, Week 2 and Week 4"

    To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves overall health, as measured by the Whole Person Health Index (WPHI). The WPHI is a 9-item self-reported measure where total scores range from 9 to 45. Higher scores indicate better overall self-reported whole-person health.

  3. Stress

    Time frame: "Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4"

    To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks reduces psychological distress, as measured by the Schwartz Outcome Scale-10 (SOS-10). The SOS-10 total score ranges from 0 to 60. Higher scores indicate better psychological well-being and functioning, and lower levels of psychological distress.

  4. Anxiety

    Time frame: "Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4"

    To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks reduces anxiety, as measured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety Short Form 8a. The PROMIS Anxiety Short Form 8a includes 8 items, each scored from 1 to 5. The summed raw score ranges from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety symptoms and a worse outcome.

  5. Positive and Negative Affect

    Time frame: "Baseline, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4"

    To assess whether the 7-minute digital meditation practiced daily for 4 weeks improves emotional well-being, as measured by the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). The SPANE is a 12-item self-reported measure consisting of two 6-item subscales: Positive Experience (SPANE-P) and Negative Experience (SPANE-N).

    The SPANE-P score ranges from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating more frequent positive emotions. The SPANE-N score ranges from 6 to 30, with higher scores indicating more frequent negative emotions and a worse outcome.

    The SPANE Balance score (SPANE-B) is calculated as SPANE-P minus SPANE-N and ranges from -24 to 24. Higher scores indicate a more favorable balance of positive relative to negative emotional experiences and a better outcome.

Other outcomes

  1. Heart Rate

    Time frame: From enrollment to Week 4

    To assess differences between study groups in trajectories of heart rate during the 4-week study period, using heart rate data collected from participants' compatible wearable devices. Heart rate will be expressed in beats per minute (bpm).

  2. Heart Rate Variability

    Time frame: From enrollment to Week 4

    To assess differences between study groups in trajectories of heart rate variability during the 4-week study period, using heart rate variability data collected from participants' compatible wearable devices. Heart rate variability will be reported using the pre-specified device-derived metric and units, such as milliseconds (ms). Higher values generally indicate greater beat-to-beat variability.

  3. Breathing Rate

    Time frame: From enrollment to Week 4

    To assess differences between study groups in trajectories of breathing rate during the 4-week study period, using respiratory-rate data collected from participants' compatible wearable devices. Breathing rate will be expressed in breaths per minute. Higher values indicate a higher breathing rate

  4. Step Counts

    Time frame: From enrollment to Week 4

    To assess differences between study groups in daily physical activity during the 4-week study period, using daily step-count data collected from participants' compatible wearable devices. Step count will be reported as the total number of steps per day. Values range from 0 upward, with higher values indicating more ambulatory physical activity.

  5. Sleep

    Time frame: From enrollment to Week 4

    To assess differences between study groups in sleep time, efficiency and average deep sleep duration during the 4-week study period, using sleep data collected from participants' compatible wearable devices.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Acronym: BEGIN II

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
May 26, 2026
Registry last updated
Sep 4, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.