Mindfulness
March 25, 2026
Tanaphong Uthayaratana, William H. O’Brien, Teerawan Teerapong et al.
A meta-analysis of Buddhist-derived interventions found that they improve well-being across multiple outcomes. Compared to control groups, the interventions showed a small but significant effect (d = 0.11). Pre-post comparisons within intervention groups revealed a large effect (d = 0.85). Interventions combining multiple Buddhist components yielded the largest effect versus controls (d = 0.15), while those emphasizing panna (insight into impermanence, change, connectedness, and suffering) showed the largest pre-post gains (d = 1.15). The analysis included studies published up to July 2, 2025, and used random effects models with moderator analyses.
Mindfulness
March 24, 2026
Andrew Boxer, Frances Shawyer, Ian Coghlan et al.
A scoping review of 16 studies found that Western psychology has made limited use of the Buddhist mental factor framework, which classifies moment-to-moment mental states and their antidotes. Although mindfulness and compassion have been widely adopted, the broader framework remains underexplored. The reviewed studies fell into three categories: conceptual and theoretical analyses (10), therapeutic applications (2), and computational or AI modeling (4). None applied the full framework in a Western psychology context, but findings suggested compatibility with AI systems. Tibetan Buddhist perspectives were underrepresented. The authors conclude that future research could develop a secularized understanding of mental factors and test clinical applications.
Mindfulness
March 23, 2026
Liane W.Y. Lee, Robin Stanley Snell, H.W.L. Lei et al.
Mindfulness helps people handle interpersonal conflicts constructively by cultivating a state called disentanglement—meta-awareness, disidentification, and reduced reactivity—combined with planning and taking constructive action. Based on interviews with 20 mindfulness practitioners, three sets of methods were identified: getting ready and staying ready (inducing and maintaining disentanglement), goal setting for peaceful action (formulating clear intentions about conflict processes and outcomes), and acting peacefully (pursuing those intentions through peaceful yet assertive action to defuse and resolve conflicts). The restorative value of meditation was also discussed. Assertiveness, non-violence, and compassion likely complement these practices.
Mindfulness
March 18, 2026
Sinead Grennan, Annie O’Dowd, Conal Twomey et al.
An umbrella review of six meta-analyses covering 110 primary studies and 28,910 participants found that school-based mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for children and adolescents aged 5–18 years produce very small improvements in wellbeing, mindfulness, and anxiety, but no effect on depression. The pooled effect sizes were small (wellbeing g = 0.13, mindfulness g = 0.11, anxiety g = 0.11, depression g = 0.05). The quality of the included reviews ranged from critically low to moderate, and the certainty of evidence was very low across all outcomes due to risk of bias, inconsistency, and imprecision. The evidence is limited and inconsistent, highlighting the need for further high-quality randomized controlled trials.
Mindfulness
March 6, 2026
Christopher J. May, Rhoda Schuling, Liv Ziegfeld et al.
A daily diary study with a randomized controlled design assigned couples to either an 8-week mindfulness-based course or an active control positive psychology course, with only one partner participating. Both course participants and their non-meditating partners in the mindfulness condition showed reductions in negative emotion over time. Partners in the mindfulness condition also showed a significant increase in nonreactivity, a facet of mindfulness not seen in the control group. The previous day's nonreactivity of the course-participating partner predicted the non-meditating partner's negative emotion, suggesting nonreactivity may be an important interpersonal outcome and mechanism of meditation interventions.
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.
Mindfulness
February 24, 2026
Larissa Bartlett, Rohan Puri, Amanda L. Neil et al.
A new 9-item scale, the Observed Mindful Behaviours (OMB), measures how attentive, aware, and accepting a person appears to someone who knows them. Based on data from 190 pairs of raters and targets, the scale shows good reliability and validity. Observed mindful behavior aligns moderately with self-reported trait mindfulness and interpersonal mindfulness, and correlates positively with empathy and psychological capital, and negatively with psychological inflexibility, distress, and anger reactivity. It does not relate to prosocial intentions. The OMB can complement self-report measures in mindfulness research.
Mindfulness
February 12, 2026
Sarah Strohmaier, Fergal W. Jones, Oleg N. Medvedev
A single session of mindfulness practice, whether 5 or 20 minutes, increases state mindfulness more than an active control activity, with longer sessions enhancing decentering. Contrary to expectations, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience did not influence how people responded to different practice lengths. However, agreeableness moderated the effect: people lower in agreeableness experienced a significantly greater reduction in negative affect after a shorter practice compared to those higher in agreeableness. Trait mindfulness also affected how people responded to different doses. These findings suggest that personalizing the length of brief mindfulness exercises based on personality traits could improve their benefits and cost-effectiveness.
Mindfulness
February 1, 2026
Kelly Birtwell, Rebecca Morris, Christopher J. Armitage
A novel mixed method called INDIGO, combining timelining and storyboarding, was used to gather stakeholder perspectives on what a brief mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) should include. Twenty-one participants, mostly mindfulness teachers or trainees with an average of 11 years of practice, suggested a mean of just over five sessions. Frequently recommended elements were focused attention practice, inquiry, three-step breathing space, and psychoeducation. Three themes emerged: tailoring to individual needs ("Starting Where You Are"), managing dynamic group processes ("Surfing the Waves"), and connecting brief course formats to existing MBIs ("The Deep and The Wide Path"). The authors argue that developing brief MBIs should be person-centered, consider social common factors, and include teacher training to improve scientific literacy.
Mindfulness
February 1, 2026
Vladimír Imriška
A unifying framework for categorizing meditation techniques was developed through two studies: qualitative responses from 113 adult meditators analyzed via framework analysis and narrative review, and a systematic literature review under PRISMA guidelines yielding 113 relevant articles. The taxonomy comprises five typology clusters (physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and mixed), two classes (happiness or meaning orientation), and three variants (kataphatic vs. apophatic, formal vs. informal, and guided vs. unguided). This framework provides a systematic, integrative structure for classifying meditation practices across diverse traditions, aiming to enhance measurement rigor in mindfulness research and help practitioners select techniques suited to their goals.
Mindfulness
January 1, 2026
Hei-Yin Hydra Ng, Ai-Ling Hsu, Wu Cc et al.
Long-term breathing training (8-week mindfulness program) reduces delta and alpha functional connectivity in the left frontal region, while short-term breath counting reduces gamma functional connectivity in the same region. These patterns suggest that breathing practices engage approach-motivation emotion regulation, as indicated by left frontal asymmetry. The findings support the use of both long-term training and brief digital interventions for emotion regulation. Study 1 involved 31 participants; Study 2 involved 51 participants using a virtual reality platform.
Mindfulness
December 28, 2025
Adele Metres, Erika Nyhus
A scoping review of 26 papers from 2010 to 2024 found that mindfulness practices moderately improve recall and recognition accuracy but can either increase or reduce false memories. Mindfulness may benefit memory in clinical populations like depression but not memory decline in aging. Some evidence indicates mindfulness meditation increases grey matter concentration and function in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and enhances theta oscillatory communication among the frontal-parietal-medial temporal lobe memory network, suggesting mindfulness affects memory through brain networks underlying episodic memory. Further behavioral and brain imaging research is needed.
Mindfulness
December 1, 2025
Zarah Rowland, Tanja Schmidt, Tobias Dolle et al.
Meditation goals differ between novice and experienced meditators, and these goals are linked to distinct outcomes in well-being and pro-environmental behavior. In a survey of 233 participants, experienced meditators reported higher levels of self-exploration and self-liberation goals than novices, while both groups equally pursued self-regulation. More meditation practice was associated with higher mindfulness, more intention-based pro-environmental behavior, and lower CO₂ emissions from meat consumption, but not with general well-being or other ecological behaviors. Self-regulation goals were negatively linked to mindfulness and well-being and positively linked to negative emotions. Self-liberation predicted more intention-based pro-environmental behavior and lower meat-related emissions, whereas self-exploration was associated with higher mindfulness but lower intention-based pro-environmental behavior and higher meat emissions.
Mindfulness
November 24, 2025
Liudmila Gamaiunova, Nicolas Pellerin
Two brief meditations—focused and deconstructive—administered before a social stress task increased heart rate variability prior to the stressor, indicating reduced physiological activation, compared to an active control condition. However, this effect did not persist during the stress task itself. Anticipatory cognitive threat appraisal decreased across all conditions, showing no specific meditation benefit. The findings suggest that even a single, short meditation session can lower physiological arousal before a stressful event, and that deconstructive meditations may offer stress-reducing potential similar to better-studied attentional meditations.
Mindfulness
November 1, 2025
Alex K. Gearin, Chantelle W. M. Suen, Frances K. Y. Ng
A survey of 164 meditators in Hong Kong found that 21% reported negative effects from meditation, yet 63% believed the practice is entirely risk-free, revealing a gap between experience and perception. Two motivational profiles emerged: "Utilizers" meditate mainly for stress and anxiety relief, practice fewer hours, expect immediate benefits, and view thoughts and feelings as private; "Cultivators" prioritize self-awareness and spiritual growth, practice longer, have lower expectations of immediate improvement, and more often perceive nature as healing. Qualitative responses described learning difficulties, technique confusion, and physical, psychological, and spiritual distress, though some participants reframed these as growth opportunities. The findings suggest tailoring meditation programs to different motivational profiles may enhance safety and effectiveness.
Mindfulness
October 17, 2025
Raghda Alnabilsy, Shiran Israel, Inbal Soroker et al.
Mindfulness and self-compassion are strongly linked to better mental well-being among Arab-Bedouins in Israel, a marginalized group facing socio-economic hardships and limited mental health resources. A cross-sectional study of 181 participants found that higher trait mindfulness and self-compassion were associated with lower anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. Qualitative interviews with eight Arab-Bedouin mental health professionals who completed an adapted Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program revealed that delivering MBSR in Arabic, integrating Islamic values, and using gender-sensitive practices increased cultural alignment and engagement. Culturally adapting MBSR to language, gender norms, and Islamic teachings enhances its relevance and effectiveness for this community.
Mindfulness
October 1, 2025
Francesco Tormen, C. Mascarello
In Mahāyāna Buddhism, the path to liberation involves recognizing that all phenomena lack inherent existence. This paper reframes that concept using contemporary psychological and cognitive-science terms, introducing 'critical meta-awareness' as a parallel to the traditional notion of wisdom (prajñā). Wisdom is central to reducing suffering, which stems from identifying with a self and treating cognitive models as objective reality. The paper reviews contemplative research to examine how meditation develops critical meta-awareness and how that awareness relates to well-being. It identifies three Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practices that cultivate such awareness but have been overlooked by research due to their metaphysical framing. The author argues that, secularly reframed, these practices could advance metacognition research and have broader societal applications.
Mindfulness
September 1, 2025
Lorena Desdentado, Marta Miragall, Ausiàs Cebolla et al.
A pilot randomized controlled trial tested the feasibility of three online-delivered mindfulness practices—visceral body scan, somatosensory body scan, and external (non-body) meditation—in 48 adults recruited from social networks. The retention rate was 66.20% and adherence to meditation practice was 56.53%. Acceptability and practice quality were moderate, and most participants reported no adverse effects. Preliminary effects emerged: the visceral body scan was linked to decreased attention to unpleasant bodily sensations, and both visceral and somatosensory body scans were associated with a decrease in dampening of positive emotions. The authors conclude that feasibility improvements are needed before larger-scale research.
Mindfulness
August 1, 2025
Bronwen Davies, Rachel Juden, W. James Greville et al.
Higher openness to mindfulness practice leads to greater increases in state mindfulness after a brief meditation session, while understanding of mindfulness does not affect state mindfulness change. In a randomized experiment, 155 participants were assigned to either an active mindfulness meditation or a sham condition. Only those in the active condition showed significant state mindfulness increases, allowing analysis of openness and understanding. Openness significantly predicted larger gains in state mindfulness, but understanding (acceptance-based vs. control-based) did not. The findings suggest that fostering open attitudes toward mindfulness-based interventions may improve treatment outcomes, and that misconceptions about acceptance-based foundations do not reduce the effectiveness of brief meditation for eliciting mindful states.
Mindfulness
April 1, 2024
Brentyn J. Ramm, Anna-Lena Lumma, Terje Sparby et al.
Twelve of twenty adults who had never practiced the Headless Way exercises reported a void-like experience after being guided through them, and five reported an experience of awareness itself. These experiences were categorized as subsets of perceptual absences and the sense of not being person-like. The exercises can effectively induce experiences of emptiness and awareness in participants without prior meditation experience. The findings suggest that such experiences can be elicited outside a traditional meditation context, and that the sense of not being person-like and perceptual absences may be precursors to recognizing awareness itself and the void-like nature of the mind.
Mindfulness
July 3, 2026
Eman AlBedah, Vuokko Wallace, Paul Chadwick
Muslims who have taken mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and the teachers who deliver those interventions report initial tensions and worries about whether secular mindfulness conflicts with Islam or Muslim cultures. Over time, many participants found that mindfulness training deepened their spirituality and sense of common humanity, despite a lack of evidence-based guidelines for integrating the two. The study identifies four themes: tensions between mindfulness and Islam or culture; confusion over what is secular versus Islamic; developing trust in the process and teachers; and discoveries of enhanced connectedness and spirituality. Teachers and graduates made evolving assumptions and decisions as they progressed through MBI programs.
Mindfulness
June 4, 2026
Diane Joss
Mindfulness meditation training, specifically Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), was linked to improvements in self-judgment, self-kindness, rumination, and reflection among healthy adults, while an active control program (Stress Management Education) improved only self-judgment and self-kindness. Brain imaging showed that in the MBSR group, increased self-kindness was associated with activity changes in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (involved in executive function), and changes in rumination and reflection were linked to activity in the temporal parietal junction (involved in empathy). No significant group-by-time interaction effects were found, meaning the differences between groups were not statistically robust.
Mindfulness
May 2, 2026
Edward Miller
Mindfulness, when adapted for use in healthcare, education, and other institutions, undergoes a process of 'ontological attenuation'—a loss of experiential depth caused by reframing it as an instrumental technique rather than a practice embedded in a broader worldview. Analyzing the MYRIAD trial through the lens of Zen master Dōgen's concept of practice-realization unity shows that separating mindfulness from its original ontological foundations alters its nature. While secular mindfulness retains practical and clinical value, it does not reproduce the deeper commitments of its contemplative sources. The authors argue for greater conceptual and ethical clarity about what mindfulness can and cannot deliver in modern settings.
Mindfulness
January 1, 2026
Manuella B Kury, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Patty van Cappellen et al.
People with lower self-compassion before starting meditation training tend to gain greater emotional and mental health benefits. In a randomized intervention, 217 adults received six weeks of either mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation. Those who began with lower self-compassion showed larger reductions in depressive symptoms and greater improvements in positive emotions and social connectedness over the intervention period. Increases in self-compassion from before to after training explained the link between meditation and lower depression, but only for those initially low in self-compassion. The findings suggest that individual differences in self-compassion shape how much people benefit from meditation, with those lowest in self-compassion potentially gaining the most.
Mindfulness
January 1, 2026
Ryan S Wexler, Wade Balsamo, Devon J Fox et al.
A qualitative analysis of session recordings from a clinical trial of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) for patients with lumbosacral radicular pain identified four stages of how participants learn to relate to chronic pain: Pain Vigilance and Attention Dysregulation, Attention Regulation and its application to Experiential Avoidance, Metacognitive Awareness, and Pain Reappraisal. Some participants initially used attention skills to avoid pain rather than engage with it. The progression, termed the Vigilance-Avoidance Metacognition-Reappraisal (VA-MR) framework, suggests that therapeutic benefit requires a skilled therapist to guide patients through these stages, particularly navigating initial avoidance tendencies.