Measuring the Moment – Short-Term Relaxation Effects and the Relaxation State Questionnaire

Background: Relaxation practices such as Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) or meditation play a role in alleviating stress and improving overall well-being. Even short interventions of these exercises effectively reduced stress assessed using several outcomes. However, to assess stress reduction and, more generally, short-term changes in individuals’ relaxation states, a reliable and sensitive instrument is essential to measure these changes on a moment-by-moment time scale. While the Relaxation State Questionnaire (RSQ) was designed to capture relaxation states, its sensitivity in measuring such momentary changes remains unknown. Aims: The main goal is to assess whether and to what degree the RSQ can accordingly reflect changes in subjective relaxation states and sensitively capture short-term relaxation effects and changes. Methods: Three different studies were performed, all using the RSQ before and after relaxing and/or non-relaxing exercises and tasks. Results: Through all studies the RSQ adequately reflected changes in participants’ relaxation states after both relaxing and non-relaxing exercises and for different levels of manipulation strength. Limitations: While the RSQ measures subjective relaxation (and sleepiness), additional objective measurements for both constructs may prove to be insightful in future experiments. Conclusion: The findings establish the RSQ as a useful tool to measure momentary relaxation states throughout an experiment, a clinical intervention (e.g., within a psychotherapy session), or further evaluate relaxation exercises and their effectiveness.