Can a 5-Minute Clip Offer the Stress Relief of Meditating?

Source: Muhammad-Taha Ibrahim / Pexels

Researchers tend to delve into a “body of research” in their chosen field, building each new study upon the last. Robin Nabi, Ph.D., at the University of California, Santa Barbara, offers a great example, with a growing portfolio of studies on media use and media “prescriptions” for stress (telling research participants what to watch and offering a “dose” for how long).

The idea of positive media is enticing: Doomscrolling makes us feel worse, so will watching something uplifting or fun help us feel better? How many of us have watched "Gilmore Girls" (or the like) over and over when stressed or overwhelmed? One of my kids even has a rule with her partner about “Rectangle Time.” When stressed, one or the other can call “Rectangle Time!” and be alone with their screens for a minute (or many), without needing to interact, just self-soothing and destressing.

So Nabi’s latest study makes intuitive sense. She and her colleagues took 1,000 U.S. adults and randomly divided them into groups, giving each a five-minute media prescription five days a week for several weeks. These groups were told to watch inspiring, hopeful videos with an underdog; watch funny, slapstick-type videos; watch/listen to a meditation app; watch anything they chose; or watch nothing (a no-intervention control group).

Only the watchers of inspiring videos reduced stress as much as the meditation group. This stress relief held for men and women, of all ages, and lasted up to 10 days after the last video. This positive effect was even greater for those who reported higher stress levels at the beginning of the study.

The inspiring clips Nabi and her team used were specifically focused on people “overcoming adversity to achieve success,” and were professionally created. This may seem like a high bar, but not necessarily. You can Google it! The researchers ascribed feelings of hope (and/or other positive emotions) as the “medicine” that decreased stress, even days after the videos.

So is it as simple as treating our stress with hope-filled videos? Sure, give it a try! But keep these points in mind:

• The study intervention used a daily five-minute media break for de-stress purposes. Not that you couldn’t benefit from watching more, but we know too much media (or anything else, for that matter) can overdo it.
• Consistency was key; watching short videos at least several days a week for several weeks was connected to a positive effect.
• The group who watched whatever media they wanted also made gains in stress reduction. If you know what to watch to help you calm, relax, or feel positive, you’re probably right—use that as you like.
• Don’t stop meditating! In the meditation group, Nabi’s study “prescribed” five minutes a day of a popular beginners’ meditation app. But meditation is an active practice offering increased benefits over time as meditators become more adept. Meditation over the long term is likely better for stress than a passive media prescription.
• So, type “short video overcoming adversity to achieve success” or the like in your search bar. Take that coffee break and destress away!

Positive media prescriptions are gaining ground for stress relief, and research shows they work. Anything you find hopeful or inspiring will likely do. You needn’t wait for a research prescription to take a five-minute vacation. Sunscreen not needed!