Benefits in completers were still evident six weeks later
A randomised controlled human trial of 227 found a three-week online self-compassion meditation program improved body appreciation and positive wellbeing in Australian adults aged 18 to 39 years who completed the training, while reducing body dissatisfaction.
La Trobe University reported that participants who completed the program also showed lower self-judgement. The university said those gains were still evident six weeks after the program ended.
The trial was published in Mindfulness. People in the intervention group did 20 minutes of daily self-compassion, while the control group stayed on a waitlist.
Three online sessions avoided appearance prompts
Participants received three different meditation sessions. They encouraged mindfulness, self-kindness and common humanity.
Some practices included awareness of bodily sensations. However, the scripts did not use appearance-related prompts or tell participants to focus on body image or physical appearance.
La Trobe University said practice frequency on its own did not explain the size of the change. La Trobe University said fostering self-compassion may be key to enhancing body appreciation rather than mindfulness practice alone.
Lead researcher Dr Joshua Marmara, from La Trobe’s Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, said developing a kinder relationship with yourself could have positive benefits for mental health and body image.
“Many body image interventions focus directly on appearance concerns, but our study found that simply encouraging people to treat themselves with greater kindness and understanding can improve how they feel about their bodies,” Dr Marmara said.
La Trobe University described self-compassion as responding to personal difficulties with greater kindness and mindful awareness rather than harsh self-criticism.
Associate Professor Siân McLean, from La Trobe’s School of Psychology and Public Health, said the findings showed the potential of accessible, self-guided programs to support positive mental health.
“Because these self-compassion training programs are simple to deliver online and require relatively little time, they have the potential to reach large numbers of people,” Associate Professor McLean said.
Researchers said more work is needed to test how these interventions perform in more diverse populations and whether the benefits last over longer periods.
