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.
Scientific Reports
July 1, 2024
Jonathan N. Davies, Anna Faschinger, Julieta Galante et al.
45 citations
Between 2002 and 2022, the use of meditation, yoga, and guided imagery or progressive relaxation among US adults rose significantly. By 2022, 18.3% (60.53 million) practiced meditation, 16.8% (55.78 million) practiced yoga, and 6.7% (22.22 million) used guided imagery or progressive relaxation. Growth was widespread across sociodemographic groups, but people of 'Other' race (54% Indigenous Americans) and those with moderate psychological distress were overrepresented across all practices. Individuals with severe distress were more likely to use meditation and guided imagery or progressive relaxation. Meditation use accelerated among adults aged 65 and older, those not accessing mental health care, and less educated groups, suggesting unmet health needs.
Pain
October 1, 2023
Jonathan N. Davies, Ben Colagiuri, Louise Sharpe et al.
15 citations
A single 20-minute online mindfulness session did not reduce chronic pain intensity or unpleasantness more than sham mindfulness or a general sham condition in 169 adults with chronic or recurrent pain. All three active conditions reduced pain unpleasantness compared to an audiobook control, and this effect was most strongly linked to participants' expectations (placebo). No evidence was found that mindfulness engages its theorized specific processes. The findings suggest that short-term pain relief from a single mindfulness session may be driven by placebo effects rather than mindfulness-specific mechanisms.
Clinical Psychological Science
January 6, 2025
Nicholas T. van Dam, Jessica Targett, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
14 citations
Meditation use in the United States is about as common as accessing mental health services, making it important to understand its potential harms. In a survey of 886 U.S. adults, nearly all (96.6%) reported an unusual experience related to meditation, 58.4% reported an adverse effect on a standard inventory, 78.3% endorsed at least one item on a scale of meditation-related adverse effects, 31.4% said they had a challenging, difficult, or distressing experience, and 9.1% reported functional impairment due to such effects. Psychological distress, psychoticism, unusual beliefs, and attending a meditation retreat were each linked to more unusual experiences and adverse effects. The authors recommend informing potential meditators about possible experiences, considering risk factors, and routinely monitoring for adverse effects.
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.
Mindfulness
June 1, 2024
Nicholas T. Dam, Jessica Targett, Alex Burger et al.
9 citations
A new questionnaire, the Inventory of Meditation Experiences (IME), captures a wide range of meditation-related experiences, from pleasant to unpleasant and mild to intense. Developed with data from 886 US meditators, the final 30-item scale has three factors and shows good statistical fit. The IME correlates as expected with measures of adverse effects, meditation habits, and mental health symptoms. The tool allows researchers to assess both the intensity and subjective valence of experiences separately or together, offering a more nuanced way to study the full spectrum of meditation-related psychological states.
May 13, 2024
Nicholas T. van Dam, Jessica Targett, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
2 citations
preprint
Meditation use is now as common as mental health service access. In a cross-sectional, population-based survey of 886 US adults, 96.6% reported an unusual experience related to meditation, 58.4% reported an adverse effect (AE), 78.3% endorsed at least one item on the Meditation-related AEs Scale, 31.4% reported a challenging, difficult, or distressing experience, and 9.1% reported functional impairment due to AEs. Psychological distress, psychoticism, unusual beliefs, and meditation retreat participation were positively associated with unusual experiences and AEs. The findings suggest that potential meditators should be informed about possible experiences, providers should consider risk factors, and AEs should be routinely and actively monitored.
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
December 4, 2025
Jonathan N. Davies, Cate Bailey, Julieta Galante et al.
1 citation
About 41.5% of Australian and 35.7% of New Zealand adults have ever used meditation, with 32.8% and 24.9% using it in the past year. Younger age and higher education consistently predicted past-year use in both countries. In Australia, additional predictors included female gender, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ancestry, unmet mental health care needs, and receipt of complementary care. In New Zealand, identifying as LGBTQIA+ was a strong positive predictor, while not receiving medical care was linked to lower odds. Over 21.7% of Australian and 17.6% of New Zealand meditators reported a meditation-related adverse effect.
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 mHealth and uHealth
June 8, 2026
Julia Adams, Jonathan N. Davies, Prai Wattanatakulchat et al.
Meditation app use is generally low: half of users engage for 16 minutes or less in the first month after download, and fewer than 20% continue past 14 days. Intended use far exceeds actual use. Higher engagement is associated with expectation match, expectations for anxiety and attention, conscientiousness, satisfaction with life, and well-being, while neuroticism, perceived stress, psychological distress, and lower quality of life are linked to lower engagement. Readiness to change uniquely predicts higher engagement. Acute stress motivates use, but chronic stress disrupts it. Engagement is best when experiences match expectations and users are prepared to change.
Scientific Reports
May 19, 2026
Karin Matko, Cate Bailey, Julieta Galante et al.
Seventy percent of adults in Australia and New Zealand engaged in contemplative practices such as meditation, yoga, or breathing techniques in the past year, most commonly meditation (31%). Practitioners reported higher psychological distress and greater use of mental healthcare than non-practitioners. After adjusting for sociodemographic differences, the association with distress disappeared for yoga and relaxation practitioners but remained for breathing techniques, which were linked to increased distress in all models. Among those with unmet healthcare needs, meditators and relaxation practitioners reported less distress than non-practitioners with unmet needs. The findings suggest contemplative practices may serve as complements to mental healthcare, but their complex relationships with mental health require further study.
Mindfulness
February 25, 2026
Cate Bailey, Nicholas T. van Dam, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
A nationally representative Australian survey compared quality of life, health service use, and costs among meditators, other contemplative practitioners, and non-practitioners. Unadjusted quality-of-life scores were higher for non-practitioners, and this difference persisted after accounting for demographics but disappeared when mental health service use was included. Unmet mental-health service need was highest among meditators (13.9%) versus non-practitioners (2.4%). The average annual cost of contemplative practice was $1,281 per person. The findings provide preliminary data for future economic evaluations of contemplative practices.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
February 2, 2026
Julia Adams, Jonathan N. Davies, Prai Wattanatakulchat et al.
Most people who download meditation apps use them very little. In a survey of 536 recent users across five English-speaking countries, those who were more educated, more open to new experiences, and who held stronger beliefs that meditation apps would help them were more likely to engage regularly. Readiness to change, expectations for sleep and thriving, and perceived app quality and appeal were also linked to greater use. Age and higher education were among the strongest predictors of engagement. The findings suggest that user characteristics and attitudes toward the app matter more than mental health symptoms for determining how much someone uses a meditation app.
October 20, 2025
Karin Matko, Cate Bailey, Julieta Galante et al.
preprint
A nationally representative survey of 2,640 Australians and New Zealanders found that 70% had engaged in contemplative practices over the past year, most commonly meditation, relaxation, breathing techniques, and yoga. Users of these practices reported higher psychological distress and mental healthcare use than non-practitioners. After adjusting for socio-demographic differences, the association with distress disappeared for yoga and relaxation practitioners; for meditators it disappeared when accounting for mental healthcare use. Breathing practice remained linked to increased distress across all models. However, meditators and relaxation practitioners with unmet healthcare needs reported less distress than non-practitioners with unmet needs. The practices may play a complementary or alternative role in managing mental health.
September 16, 2025
Cate Bailey, Nicholas T. van Dam, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
preprint
A nationally representative Australian survey of 2,065 people found that meditators and other contemplative practitioners had lower unadjusted quality-of-life than non-practitioners, a difference that persisted after accounting for demographics but disappeared when mental health service use was considered. Unmet mental-health service need was highest among meditators (13.9%) versus non-practitioners (2.4%), and 8.9% of the overall sample had unmet need. The average annual cost of contemplative practices was $1,281 per person. The findings provide preliminary data for future cost-effectiveness evaluations of contemplative practices, with the EQ-HWB-9 index performing well as an outcome measure.
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.
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
September 1, 2024
Melissa A Day, Natasha Matthews, Jonathan N. Davies et al.
A single 20-minute session of mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation reduced pain intensity more than an audiobook control in 100 adults with chronic or current problematic pain. Both meditation types produced medium effects on pain intensity (mindfulness d=0.41, loving-kindness d=0.38), while the control showed almost no change. Pain unpleasantness decreased only slightly across all conditions. Participants expected greater benefits from both meditations than from the control. Mindfulness increased mindful observing, and loving-kindness meditation increased self-compassion, but these changes did not explain the pain reductions. Pain type did not affect the results.