Peer-Reviewed Research: How Qigong Changes the Way the Brain Handles Emotions
We all know that stress, anxiety, and emotional overload are becoming a daily part of life for many people—especially young adults and students. The question is: Can something as gentle and ancient as Qigong really help with emotional balance? And if so, how does it actually work?
A recent study by Hu and colleagues helps answer that question. Using brainwave measurements, the researchers looked at how Qigong practice affected emotional reactions in college students. The results suggest that even four weeks of daily Qigong can noticeably change how the brain responds to emotional situations—making it calmer, more centered, and less reactive.
Let’s unpack how they did it and what they found.
What Was the Study About?
The researchers wanted to understand if Qigong could help regulate emotions—not just on the surface, but deep inside the brain. To do this, they measured students’ brain activity while showing them a series of emotional pictures: some happy, some neutral, and some disturbing or negative.
They used a special kind of brain scan called an ERP (event-related potential). It works by measuring electrical signals in the brain in real time as someone reacts to a stimulus—like a photo. One part of the signal, called the Late Positive Potential (LPP), is known to get bigger when we’re emotionally activated or focused on something that matters to us.
In simple terms, if a photo makes your brain light up with emotion, the LPP wave will be bigger. If you’re less emotionally affected, the wave is smaller.
How Was the Study Done?
The researchers recruited 82 college students and divided them into two groups:
One group did 30 minutes of Qigong every night for 4 weeks.
The other group didn’t do anything new; they just continued their normal lives.
The Qigong training involved guided visualization and deep breathing. Students were led through scenes like “I’m walking through a rose garden” or “Sunshine is warming my body,” with the goal of calming the mind and turning attention inward. This isn’t just imagination—it’s a practice that helps the nervous system shift into a more relaxed state.
Before and after the 4-week training, both groups participated in brainwave testing while looking at emotional images.
What Did They Find?
Here’s the key finding: after four weeks of Qigong, the students showed smaller emotional reactions in their brainwaves—especially in areas of the brain that process emotion and attention.
More specifically:
The Qigong group had lower LPP responses than they did before training.
The control group showed no change.
The changes were especially strong in brain areas connected to emotional control and awareness (like the parietal and prefrontal regions).
This means that Qigong helped participants stay calmer when faced with emotional images—whether positive or negative. Their brains were not shutting down or numbing out; they were simply less reactive. In other words, Qigong gave them a buffer between the stimulus and the emotional spike.
Why Is This Important?
Lowering reactivity doesn’t mean we feel less—it means we’re better at managing how we feel. When we can notice emotions without being overwhelmed, we respond instead of react. This is emotional regulation, and it's one of the most important keys to good mental health.
For college students especially—who often face academic pressure, emotional ups and downs, and social stress—learning how to regulate emotions naturally can be a game changer.
This study shows that Qigong might offer just that: a simple, effective, and non-invasive way to help people stay balanced, clear-headed, and emotionally resilient.
What Happens in the Brain?
Here’s what’s likely going on:
The prefrontal cortex, which helps us make decisions and stay calm, becomes more active and better at steering emotional responses.
The parietal cortex, which helps us process feelings and body awareness, shows less emotional activation—suggesting less “emotional noise.”
The visual cortex (responsible for just seeing the images) didn’t change much, meaning Qigong didn’t dull perception—only emotional intensity.
This pattern is similar to what we see in meditation research. Mindfulness and other meditative practices have also been shown to reduce emotional brain responses—especially to negative or stressful stimuli.
So, it seems that Qigong, like meditation, strengthens the “top-down” control systems of the brain. That means we gain more control over how we feel, rather than being tossed around by our emotions.
What Was the Qigong Practice Like?
Participants in the Qigong group began with a 2-hour introductory class to learn the practice. They then engaged in daily group sessions for 30 minutes each evening (9:00–9:30 PM) over four weeks. These sessions were guided by an audio recording and supervised by instructors who were available to answer questions.
The guided practice consisted of three parts:
Relaxation – Participants were guided into a calm state with deep breathing and physical relaxation.
Mind Adjustment – This involved visualizing peaceful scenes such as “spring sunshine warming the body” or “walking in rose bushes,” and deepening the experience through mental immersion.
Return – Participants were gently guided out of the meditative state back to normal awareness.
The mind adjustment process followed five steps:
Preparation – Sit comfortably, press the tongue to the palate, relax the body from head to toe, and shift to deep breathing.
Scene Formation – Recall a calming scene from training and visualize it vividly.
Scene Operation – Refine the scene to emphasize calming details and remove distractions.
Self-Immersion – Fully enter and emotionally engage with the peaceful scene.
Return to Normal – Exit the scene slowly, open the eyes, and reorient with light physical movement.
This structured method aimed to shift participants from daily stress into a deeply relaxed and emotionally balanced state.
What Does This Mean for Everyday Life?
The takeaway is simple and powerful: Qigong can help rewire how the brain handles emotions, and you don’t need to be a monk or a master to start seeing results.
If you practice Qigong regularly—just 30 minutes a day—you may notice:
Feeling less overwhelmed by stressful events
A calmer, more centered response to challenges
Improved clarity in emotional situations
Better sleep and focus
The researchers believe that this emotional regulation effect might be part of the reason Qigong is also helpful for conditions like anxiety and depression, as shown in other studies.
Final Thoughts
In a world where emotions can run high, and mental health is more important than ever, this study provides strong evidence that Qigong can be a valuable tool—not just spiritually or philosophically, but neurologically.
The brain is plastic. That means it can change—and Qigong seems to change it in a way that makes people more emotionally resilient and less reactive.
You don’t need fancy equipment or a clinical setting. Just a quiet space, a little time, and a willingness to try.
If you’re looking for a practice to support your emotional well-being, Qigong offers a science-backed, body-centered way to calm the mind—and strengthen it.
Reference:
Hu, Q., Chen, K., Zhang, J., Shao, X., & Wei, Y. (2021). Emotional processing changes of qigong on college students: A pilot ERP study of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, 8(1), 27–33.
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