It was recently reported in a health magazine that regular relaxation sessions can significantly lower stress levels. A psychologist wanted to investigate whether this reduction was due to using a structured mindfulness mobile application or simply engaging in quiet individual reading. The psychologist could not find any published research comparing these two specific relaxation methods directly.
The psychologist used a matched-pairs design, pairing 24 working adults based on their occupation and baseline stress ratings. One participant from each pair was allocated to Group A, and the other to Group B.
Participants in Group A were asked to complete 20 minutes of guided mindfulness meditation using a smartphone app every evening. Participants in Group B were asked to spend 20 minutes reading a fiction book in silence every evening. The study lasted for 3 weeks, during which participants agreed not to engage in any other structured wellness activities.
All participants completed a validated stress questionnaire at the start and at the end of the 3-week study. The psychologist then calculated the change in stress score for each participant.
Write a suitable hypothesis for this study.
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