Mind

1. Mindwell supported · human dataAdded 29 July 2026

   Exercise shows large effects on depressive symptoms

   Across 41 randomised trials in 2,264 adults, exercise produced large reductions in depressive symptoms compared with non-active controls, with a number needed to treat of 2. The effect remained moderate when analysis was restricted to the 12 low risk-of-bias trials.

   ⚠What it shows: Meta-analysis of 41 RCTs (2,264 participants post-intervention); many trials were small with high heterogeneity in methods, and the effect shrank to moderate in the 12 low risk-of-bias studies.Meta-analysis · Br J Sports Med

   Full breakdown →Heart Rate Zone Calculator →Exercise as medicine for depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. Br J Sports Med 2023
2. Mindpreliminary · human dataAdded 29 July 2026

   Exercise gives working memory a lift in depression

   Exercise programmes produced a small but significant improvement in working memory in adults with mild-to-moderate depression. Effects on inhibition and cognitive flexibility, two other core executive functions, were not significant.

   ⚠What it shows: Meta-analysis of only 7 controlled studies (202 men, 457 women, aged 21-51, mild-to-moderate depression); high heterogeneity across trials; the authors say the shortage of high-quality studies precludes firm conclusions.Meta-analysis · Int J Environ Res Public Health

   Full breakdown →Executive function explained →Effects of Physical Exercise on Executive Function in Adults with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022
3. Mindwell supported · human dataAdded 29 July 2026

   Different exercise types, different brain gains

   Pooling 54 randomised trials in healthy children, adults and older adults, exercise improved overall cognition and every domain measured, with aerobic work showing the greatest benefit for global cognition, resistance training for executive function and mind-body exercise for memory. Older adults gained the most.

   ⚠What it shows: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 54 RCTs in healthy people; the type-by-domain comparisons come from moderation analyses across studies rather than head-to-head trials, and the authors say evidence on attention and information processing is still too thin to judge.Meta-analysis · Ageing Res Rev

   Full breakdown →Executive function explained →Effects of exercise interventions on cognitive functions in healthy populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Res Rev 2023
4. Mindpreliminary · human dataAdded 27 July 2026

   VR waterscapes beat landscapes in exercise trial

   In a 12-week randomised trial of virtual reality exercise, participants viewing professionally produced 360° waterscapes improved mental quality of life, fat-free mass and BMI, and reported more restorativeness and less VR sickness than those viewing self-recorded landscapes.

   ⚠What it shows: Single RCT with 40 vs 32 participants over 12 weeks; the groups differed in video production quality as well as scenery type, and outcomes relied partly on self-report questionnaires.Study · J Formos Med Assoc

   Full breakdown →Restorative natural experiences in immersive landscapes and waterscapes during virtual reality exercise for mental health promotion. J Formos Med Assoc 2026
5. Mindpreliminary · human dataAdded 27 July 2026

   Alcohol-free activities track with less heavy drinking

   In a secondary analysis of 1,726 adults treated for alcohol use disorder, those engaging in more alcohol-free activities 6 months after treatment drank heavily less often at 12 months, and the link was stronger among people living in more impoverished communities. It is an observational association within a trial, not proof that adding activities causes less drinking.

   ⚠What it shows: Secondary observational analysis of 1,726 participants from a randomised alcohol use disorder trial at 10 US research units; associations come from Bayesian multilevel models over 12 months and cannot establish cause, and the sample is people who completed formal alcohol treatment.RCT · J Exp Anal Behav

   Full breakdown →Engagement in alcohol-free activities, community-level economic disadvantage, and heavy drinking following alcohol treatment. J Exp Anal Behav 2026
6. Mindpreliminary · human dataAdded 27 July 2026

   Mindfulness course lifted sleep and mood in menopause

   An 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programme improved quality of life, life satisfaction, mental well-being and sleep quality in a randomised controlled trial of 84 menopausal women, while a no-intervention control group showed no significant change.

   ⚠What it shows: One single-site RCT in Türkiye, n=84, compared against a no-intervention control rather than a placebo or attention control; outcomes were self-reported and effect sizes were not stated in the abstract.RCT · J Nurs Scholarsh

   Full breakdown →Sleep Calculator →The Effect of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program on Quality of Life, Life Satisfaction, Sleep Quality, and Mental Well-Being in Menopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Nurs Scholarsh 2026
7. Mindpreliminary · human dataAdded 27 July 2026

   Self-guided lifestyle programmes eased low mood

   In a three-arm trial of 122 adults with probable depression, an 8-week multicomponent lifestyle programme delivered either by smartphone app or by booklet cut depressive symptoms more than a waitlist, with clinically significant improvement in 78% of the app group and 55% of the booklet group versus 19.5% of controls.

   ⚠What it shows: Single randomised trial of 122 adults with probable depression in Hong Kong, compared against a waitlist rather than an active treatment, with follow-up beyond week 9 collected only in the intervention groups.Study · J Affect Disord

   Full breakdown →Efficacy of smartphone- and bibliotherapy-delivered multicomponent lifestyle medicine interventions for probable depression: A three-arm randomized controlled trial. J Affect Disord 2026
8. Mindpreliminary · human dataAdded 26 July 2026

   Digital mahjong nudged memory in older adults

   Community-dwelling adults aged 55 and over who played a home-based digital mahjong game twice weekly for six months improved slightly more on delayed recall than a no-intervention control group, with a between-group difference of 0.79 points on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Diastolic blood pressure also fell 3.50 mm Hg more in the game group, and brain imaging showed increased regional activity coherence in the right insula.

   ⚠What it shows: Single-blind randomised trial of 60 community-dwelling adults in Taipei, 30 per group, analysed per protocol, with no active control: the comparison group did nothing at all, so attention, novelty and the bundled walking incentive cannot be separated from the game itself. Cognitive gain was under one point on a screening test.RCT · JMIR Aging

   Full breakdown →Healthspan explained →Healthy Lifestyle & Life Expectancy →Digital Mahjong-Based Cognitive Engagement Intervention for Older Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Aging 2026
9. Mindwell supported · human dataAdded 26 July 2026

   Tai Chi eases student depression, anxiety and stress

   A meta-analysis of 12 randomised controlled trials in 1,057 college students found Tai Chi significantly reduced depression, anxiety and stress, and also improved sleep quality. The sleep finding came with substantial variation between studies.

   ⚠What it shows: Meta-analysis of 12 RCTs (1,057 college students only); anxiety and sleep results showed high heterogeneity, and optimal protocols remain undefined.Meta-analysis · Front Public Health

   Full breakdown →Sleep Calculator →Effects of Tai Chi on Mental Health in college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Public Health 2026

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