Document Type

Restricted

Advisor

Mays Imad

Publication Date

2026

Comments

This paper is restricted to the Connecticut College campus until December 8, 2026.

Abstract

Undergraduate students routinely navigate chronic stress within classrooms, yet these spaces remain largely unsupported by accessible and evidence-based nervous system regulation practices. As campus mental health resources grow increasingly strained, an opportunity emerges to address academic-related stress upstream in classrooms. This study investigates whether a one time mindfulness intervention delivered around an academic stressor induced by a math exam is associated with measurable physiological and psychological recovery among undergraduate students. Salivary biomarkers such as cortisol, alpha-amylase, glucose, and insulin were collected at different timepoints throughout the intervention. The well-being intervention itself consisted of neuroeducation and hands-on activities focused on top-down and bottom-up regulation strategies. We present our preliminary results which suggest that intervention timing may matter, with pre-stressor regulation showing more consistent directional patterns than post-stressor recovery. We suggest that by grounding this work in psychobiological measurement, we can offer educators something meaningful and practical: empirical evidence they can lean on to bring no-cost stress-regulation practices in their classrooms, and in doing so, work toward creating learning environments that are not only academically enriching, but physiologically safer for students.

Download

Share

COinS
 

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.