Overview

• A fully factorial, preregistered randomized trial assigned 120 healthy adults to receive either painless ear-based vagus nerve stimulation or sham pulses paired with self-compassion meditation or neutral training.
• Participants who received both vagus nerve stimulation via the tragus and self-compassion practice showed the largest and most immediate increases in self-compassion compared with other groups.
• Measured mindfulness—defined as present-moment awareness and calm acknowledgment of thoughts—grew progressively over multiple sessions in the combined stimulation and compassion training group.
• Stimulation without accompanying meditation yielded minimal psychological benefits, underscoring its potential role as an adjunct rather than a standalone mental health intervention.
• Researchers plan follow-up trials to refine stimulation parameters, assess the durability of effects and evaluate the approach in clinical populations with anxiety, depression or trauma.