The buffering effect of Ramadan fasting on emotions intensity: a pilot study

The present study attempted to examine how Ramadan fasting could influence positive and negative feelings in healthy Muslims. Ninety-one Muslim fasters (48 women; mean age, 28.6±6.2 years) voluntarily completed an on-line inquiry one time a week during eight weeks: before (2 weeks), during (4 weeks), and after (2 weeks) the month of Ramadan 2013 at a specific time-slot that corresponded to the middle of the day, depending on the country in which the participants lived. Results showed that, relative to the period of outside Ramadan, the period of Ramadan fasting was associated with lower levels of positive affect (5.38±1.06 vs. 5.87±1.22, p=0.000), negative affect (2.78±1.31 vs. 2.95±1.35, p=0.057), and depression (2.36±1.31 vs. 2.64±1.46, p=0.004). However, anxiety (4.06±2.00 vs. 4.09±1.79, p=0.843) and wellbeing (6.23±1.36 vs. 6.25±1.47, p=0.804) were not influenced by Ramadan fasting. This study suggests that Ramadan fasting would act as a buffer against the intensity of emotions.