Mindfulness and Objective Measures of Body Awareness: A Preregistered Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-Analysis.
Biopsychosocial science and medicine May 1, 2025 Katrin Schwartz, Fabienne Marie Ganster, Martin Voracek et al. 4 citations
A small positive association exists between mindfulness and interoceptive accuracy, but the true magnitude and even direction of the effect remain uncertain. Across 41 studies with 2,411 participants, the correlation was r = 0.13, with a prediction interval spanning from -0.36 to 0.62. The association was driven by indirect measures of body awareness and case-control studies involving long-term meditators. High heterogeneity, signs of publication bias, and predominantly low study quality were observed, especially regarding the objectivity, validity, and reliability of body awareness tasks. More high-quality research and standardization of tasks are needed before drawing firm conclusions.