Effects of Exercise, Relaxation, and Management Skills Training on Physiological Stress Indicators: A Field Experiment

The physiological effects of three stress intervention strategies (management skills training, exercise, and meditation) were examined in a longitudinal field experiment. Sixty-two subjects were randomly assigned to four groups (three experimental groups and a control group). Pulse rate, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, and galvanic skin response were used as physiological stress indicators. Analysis of covariance and multiple comparison tests indicated that each of the strategies led to decreases in pulse rate and systolic blood pressure. Dual combination strategies also showed significant decreases in pulse rate. However, no reliable results were found for combination strategies when examined for order effects.