Background/Objectives: This systematic review outlines the neurocognitive outcomes and mechanisms of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) that influence subjective well-being. MBCT is a clinical intervention that integrates cognitive therapy with mindfulness practices to prevent depression relapses and improve mental health. Methods: The review focuses on the effects of MBCT on brain structure changes, cognitive processes, and emotional regulation, which are related to improvements in subjective well-being. A total of 87 studies were included in the review to assess the effectiveness of MBCT. Results: Evidence from the studies highlights the effectiveness of MBCT in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. MBCT was also shown to enhance cognitive functions and emotional regulation across diverse populations. These findings point to the potential for MBCT to induce neuroplastic changes in the brain and widen the applicability of the treatment for a variety of disorders, calling for further research into long-term benefits and underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Conclusions: The review emphasizes the potential of MBCT to bring about neuroplastic changes, calling for further research into its long-term benefits and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. This study underlines the need to incorporate multidisciplinary measures by integrating psychology and neuroscience to comprehend comprehensively the effects of MBCT.

A modified version of the probe detection task was used to investigate the time course of attentional biases for emotional words in high and low socially anxious individuals. Word pairs were presented at two exposure durations, 200 and 500 msec, in order to investigate the different components of attentional bias in anxiety (e.g., vigilance or avoidance of threat). There was evidence of an attentional bias favouring initial vigilance towards (social and physical) threat words and subsequent avoidance of the same stimuli in high social anxiety. In contrast, low socially anxious individuals did not exhibit an attentional preference. The interaction of social anxiety and exposure duration for threat words remained when controlling for general negative affect. Theoretical and clinical implications of the results are discussed.

Background and Objectives: This systematic review aims to present the latest developments in next-generation CBT interventions of digital support tools, teletherapies, and personalized treatment modules in enhancing accessibility, improving treatment adherence, and optimizing therapeutic outcomes for depression. Materials and Methods: This review analyzed 81 PRISMA-guided studies on the efficacy, feasibility, and applicability of NG-CBT approaches. Other important innovations include web-based interventions, AI-operated chatbots, and teletherapy platforms, each of which serves as a critical challenge in delivering mental health care. Key messages have emerged regarding technological readiness, patient engagement, and the changing role of therapists within the digital context of care. Results: Findings indicate that NG-CBT interventions improve treatment accessibility and engagement while maintaining clinical effectiveness. Personalized digital tools enhance adherence, and teletherapy platforms provide scalable and cost-effective alternatives to traditional therapy. Conclusions: Such developments promise great avenues for decreasing the global burden of depression and enhancing the quality of life through novel, accessible, and high-quality therapeutic approaches.

The cognitive model of social phobia by Clark and Wells (Social phobia: diagnosis, assessment and treatment) (1995) proposes that, while anticipating a social situation, individuals with social phobia engage in several biased cognitive processes which enhance anticipatory anxiety. Prior to giving a speech, high and low socially anxious individuals (N=40 per group) were instructed to either engage in anticipatory processing (think about what could go right or wrong in the impending situation, predict how they will appear to others and recall past similar situations) or perform a distraction task. Compared to high socially-anxious individuals whose anticipatory processing was inhibited, high socially-anxious participants engaging in anticipatory processing reported more anxiety feelings and predicted more negative overall appearance. High socially-anxious individuals also recalled more negative and less positive information about their public selves, but only when their anticipatory processing was inhibited rather than facilitated. For the low socially-anxious individuals there was no significant difference between the two anticipation conditions on measures of anxiety, self-perception, and memory for emotional information. The results are discussed in relation to the Clark and Wells model.

A psychometric study was conducted with the aim of collecting basic information about anticipatory processing and its relationship to social anxiety. A self-report measure of anticipatory processing was developed and utilized in a large student sample. The results confirmed that such processing is very common before an anticipated feared social event and a significant correlation (r=0.49) between anticipatory processing scores and social anxiety was found, which remained when trait anxiety and depression were controlled. A factor analysis indicated that all items of the measure except for two loaded significantly on one factor and accounted for the 47.3% of the variance. Socially anxious individuals in the study reported that their thoughts about the event were recurrent, intrusive, interfered with their concentration and increased their state of anxiety. Also, they reported that they wished they could avoid the situation. The results are discussed in terms of the Clark and Wells cognitive model of social phobia.