The Effects of Dose, Practice Habits, and Objects of Focus on Digital Meditation Effectiveness and Adherence: Longitudinal Study of 280,000 Digital Meditation Sessions Across 103 Countries.
Journal of Medical Internet Research September 19, 2023 Micah Cearns, Scott R Clark
Long-term real-world digital meditation practice is effective and associated with improvements in mood, equanimity, and resilience. Outcome change corresponded to 1 extra day of improved mood for every 5 days meditated and half-a-day-faster mood recovery compared with baseline. Practice consistency (4-7 days per week) was associated with the largest outcome change, while session length showed no significant differences in linear models but generalized additive models revealed significant differences over time, with longer sessions (21-30 min) associated with the largest mood change from the 20th session onward. Completing a greater variety of practice types was associated with significantly greater improvements across all outcomes. Adherence to long-term practice was best predicted by practice consistency, a morning routine, and maintaining an equal balance between interoceptive and exteroceptive meditations.