Mindfulness
January 1, 2022
Nicholas Bowles, Jonathan N. Davies, Nicholas T. van Dam
54 citations
Benefits of meditation accumulate over time in a non-linear fashion, with the strongest gains occurring in roughly the first 500 hours of practice before leveling off. In a cross-sectional survey of 1,668 meditators averaging 1,095 lifetime hours, greater historical practice was associated with better psychological outcomes, including higher positive affect and life satisfaction and lower psychological distress and negative affect. The type of practice mattered: Vipassana (as taught by S.N. Goenka) and cultivating practices like compassion and lovingkindness were more strongly linked to favorable outcomes. The results suggest that the dose-response relationship between meditation practice and wellbeing is not linear and depends on practice context.
June 23, 2023
Nicholas Bowles, Jonathan N. Davies, Sarah Strohmaier et al.
10 citations
preprint
Mindfulness meditation is widely practiced in religious and secular settings, with many studies suggesting benefits for psychosocial well-being. Yet little is known about dose-response effects—how often or how long one must practice to achieve specific goals. Recommended practice durations are becoming shorter, but the impact of this reduction on outcomes is unclear. This review critically appraises evidence from empirical studies, traditional sources, and contemporary teaching trends. It argues that previous studies' limited dose ranges and analytic approaches hinder understanding of dose-response. The authors propose a research agenda prioritizing dose-response questions, using designs optimized to examine how the relationship varies by outcome and individual, which could reconcile conflicting knowledge and tailor mindfulness offerings.
Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being
August 1, 2025
Nicholas Bowles, Nicholas T. van Dam
6 citations
Meditation practice dose is significantly associated with improvements in well-being, affect, and distress, with practice frequency being a stronger predictor of beneficial outcomes than session duration. During a two-month prospective period, 35 to 65 minutes of daily practice was required for meaningful improvements in well-being, and 50 to 80 minutes daily for meaningful improvements in mental health outcomes. Dose-response effects were moderated by lifetime practice experience, negative emotionality, and valuing mental health as a practice goal. Benefits were maintained over a two- to four-year follow-up period.
June 25, 2026
Nicholas Bowles, Nicholas T. van Dam, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
preprint
Among 716 meditation-naïve healthy adults randomly assigned to 4, 10, 20, or 30 minutes of daily mindfulness meditation over 28 days, all groups showed significant improvements in wellbeing and mental health symptoms from baseline to post-intervention. No evidence of a dose–response effect emerged: longer assigned practice durations were not more beneficial than shorter ones. Adherence declined with longer assignments; 70.9% of the 10-minute group completed at least two-thirds of sessions versus 48.5% of the 30-minute group. Exploratory analyses indicated that actual practice engagement and confidence in meditation's efficacy predicted better outcomes, suggesting that adherence and expectancy may matter more than prescribed length.
JMIR Research Protocols
July 29, 2025
Nicholas Bowles, Alexander Burger, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
A proposed randomized controlled trial will test whether longer daily mindfulness meditation sessions produce greater improvements in well-being. Healthy adults aged 18–65 will be assigned to 4-week online courses with 10, 20, or 30 minutes of daily practice, or a 4-minute control condition. The primary outcome is psychological well-being, measured at baseline, midintervention, postintervention, and one-month follow-up. The trial aims to enroll at least 688 participants; as of end of 2024, 70 eligible participants were enrolled. Results are expected by March 2026.
February 17, 2025
Nicholas Bowles, A. Bürger, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
A planned online mindfulness course for healthy adults aged 18–65 years will test whether longer daily meditation practice (10, 20, or 30 minutes) produces greater improvements in well-being and other psychological outcomes than a short control practice (4 minutes). The study aims to enroll at least 688 participants, but recruitment has been slow and affected by fraudulent entries; by the end of 2024 only 70 eligible participants had enrolled. The trial will measure well-being, distress, anxiety, depression, and other factors at several time points, with results expected by March 2026.