App-based mindfulness meditation reduces stress in novice meditators: a randomized controlled trial of headspace using ecological momentary assessment.
Matthew J. Zawadzki, Zoltan A Torok, Mercedes Peña, Larisa Gavrilova
Annals of Behavioral Medicine January 4, 2025 DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaf025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 138 |
| Population | Non-faculty employees from a university in California's Central Valley |
| Dose | 10 minutes of meditation daily |
| Duration | 8-week intervention period with assessments at baseline, 2 weeks, 5 weeks, and 8 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Headspace Digital health Mhealth Stress |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key findings | Headspace reduced subjective stress and perseverative cognitions by week 2 and improved perceived coping by week 5, with effects persisting through week 8, while no changes were seen in stressor appraisal. |
Abstract
App-based mindfulness meditation programs have shown mixed effects in reducing stress levels. These studies have typically relied on limited assessments of dimensions of stress and on pre-post designs to detect effects. This randomized controlled trial examined the effect of the mindfulness meditation app Headspace on reducing subjective stress, stressor appraisals, perceived coping, and perseverative cognitions. It tested stress-reducing effects in everyday life throughout an eight-week intervention period. Non-faculty employees (n = 138; age M = 38.19; 75.36% female; 54.5% White, 27.54% Hispanic; 51.45% with a professional degree) from a university in California's Central Valley were randomized into either the Headspace condition (instructed to complete 10 minutes of meditation daily) or wait-list (inactive) control group. Participants completed ecological momentary assessments of stress five times a day for four consecutive days at baseline, at two and five weeks after randomization (mid-intervention), and at eight weeks post-randomization (post-intervention), resulting in 6260 observations of stress dimensions. Hierarchical linear models were used to test the interaction of condition by time, revealing significant effects for subjective stress, perceived coping, and perseverative cognitions. By week 2, compared to the baseline, participants in the Headspace condition reported less subjective stress and perseverative cognitions, and by week 5 reported more perceived coping. These effects persisted through week 8. No changes were observed for stressor appraisal. Participants in the control condition reported increases in subjective stress and perseverative cognitions, and decreases in coping, throughout the intervention period. Headspace was effective at reducing stress in a high-stress environment. Findings suggest the potential for relatively quick and sustained gains in stress benefits from meditation practice that may help practitioners develop their future programs.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Testing How Mindfulness Skills Change for Novice Meditators Using Headspace: Examining Trait Mindfulness and Perceived Stress as Moderators Stress and Health September 1, 2026
- The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Burnout in Clinical Genetic Counselors: A Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial. medRxiv January 16, 2026
- Goal Setting and Anchoring Effects on Meditation Using a Digital Platform: Large-Scale Digital Field Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research April 9, 2026
Cites 21
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- What Do We Really Know About Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction? Psychosomatic Medicine 2002
and 16 more in the library