Research summary · Sport psychology
Mindfulness in badminton: brain signals without a clear task benefit
Twenty-eight elite badminton athletes completed ten days of mindfulness training or regular training plus neutral videos. A planning task and prefrontal brain-oxygenation measurements were collected before and after the intervention.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized active-controlled trial
- Journal
- BMC Psychology
- Population / context
- Elite badminton
What the publication reports
Self-reported mindfulness increased, but task accuracy and reaction time showed no clear group-by-time benefit. A selected right prefrontal channel showed altered responses under low cognitive load, without robust behavioural improvement.
Limits and interpretation
The small sample, brief intervention and channel-specific findings warrant caution. A laboratory brain-signal difference is not evidence of improved badminton skill or match performance; persistence of any changes remains uncertain.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
The effects of intensive mindfulness interventions on athletes' psychological states and cognitive performance: an fNIRS study
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 41803998DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-04323-wFull text at the sourceReader discussion
Discuss the evidence.
Ask a question, share a source or discuss the methods. Respectful disagreement is welcome. Every comment and reply is reviewed before publication.
Loading comments…