What predicts meditation app engagement? an evaluation of user characteristics and motivation.
Psychology & health April 7, 2026 Mariah Sullivan, Sara Cloonan, Jennifer Huberty et al.
Intrinsic motivation predicts sustained engagement with mindfulness meditation apps. Among 304 new subscribers followed for eight weeks, those with strong intrinsic motivation had 3.63 times greater odds of completing any meditation session, 1.75 times more days with meditation, and 0.32 more minutes of meditation per day. Men meditated on more days than women, and a mental health diagnosis was associated with longer daily meditation durations. The effort and pressure subdomains of intrinsic motivation also predicted app usage. The authors suggest that app developers and researchers consider tailoring content or providing additional support based on these user characteristics.