A meta-analysis of 47 randomized clinical trials with 3,515 participants found that mindfulness meditation programs produce small to moderate reductions in anxiety, depression, and pain compared to placebo controls. At 8 weeks, effect sizes were 0.38 for anxiety, 0.30 for depression, and 0.33 for pain; benefits for anxiety and depression persisted at 3–6 months. Evidence for improved stress, distress, and mental health-related quality of life was low, and there was insufficient or no evidence that meditation improves positive mood, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep, or weight. Meditation programs were not superior to active treatments such as drugs, exercise, or other behavioral therapies.
A systematic review of 47 randomized clinical trials with 3,515 participants found that mindfulness meditation programs produce small to moderate reductions in anxiety, depression, and pain compared to active placebo controls. At 8 weeks, anxiety improved with an effect size of 0.38 and depression with 0.30; these benefits persisted at 3–6 months with effect sizes of 0.22 and 0.23 respectively. Pain showed an effect size of 0.33. Evidence for stress/distress and mental health-related quality of life was low. Meditation programs showed no effect or insufficient evidence for positive mood, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep, and weight, and were not better than drugs, exercise, or other behavioral therapies.