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Heartbeat vibrations: a new way to ease anxiety and depression?

NCT ID NCT07809958

Symptom relief Sponsor: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at MIT are testing whether a smartwatch that vibrates in time with your heartbeat can improve interoceptive awareness, the ability to sense what is happening inside your body. The study enrolls 29 people with high alexithymia scores, a trait linked to difficulty identifying emotions. Participants wear the watch for a week with real heartbeat feedback and a week with delayed feedback, then complete questionnaires on mood, anxiety, depression, and pleasure. The team also checks how comfortable the watch is and whether people can tell the difference between the two feedback types.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Heart rate feedback from a smartwatch that delivers vibration pulses matched to the wearer's heartbeat
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a wearable tool that helps people tune into their body signals and manage mood symptoms without drugs.
What could go wrong
The study is small and early, and earlier short-term tests found no clear benefit. Wearables can be uncomfortable or easy to ignore, and results may not hold for everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

29 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2025

Finished

Sep 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * High alexithymia score at screening (TAS-20 \>= 50) Exclusion Criteria: * Severe psychiatric condition * Any type of heart arrythmia

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Affective Symptoms alexithymia anxiety anxiety disorder depressive disorder Psychological Well-Being

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Alexithymia Anxiety Depression disorders Interoception Interoceptive awareness

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • MIT Media Lab

    Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.