Comparative Effects of Meditation, Nature Exposure, and Digital Activities on Physiological and Perceived Stress

The present study aims to compare the effects of meditation, nature exposure, digital scrolling, and reading on physiological and perceived stress. Participants will undergo a baseline assessment including the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), a visual analogue scale (VAS) for anxiety, and salivary cortisol collection at 8:30 a.m, prior to cortisol peak. Participants will then engage in one of four activities: guided meditation, a walk in a forest environment, digital scrolling on a smartphone, or reading a neutral text. Following the activity, salivary cortisol will be collected again and anxiety will be reassessed using the VAS. The study will evaluate changes in cortisol levels, perceived stress and perceived anxiety across the four conditions and explore the potential moderating role of baseline mindfulness traits. The central research question of this study is whether different experiential conditions elicit distinct psychophysiological responses, as reflected by changes in perceived stressm salivary cortisol and perceived anxiety and therefore this investigation could improve the understanding of how different experiential contexts influence short-term stress regulation.

NCT Number	NCT07673653
Lead Sponsor	University of Pavia Collaborators: University of Padova
Conditions	Psychophysical Well-being
Enrollment	100 participants
Start Date	2025-11-05
Primary Completion	2026-06-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-07-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-08-12