Reconceptualizing the relationship between anxiety, mindfulness, and cognitive control.
Resh S Gupta, Wendy Heller, Todd S. Braver
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106146 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Cognitive control Conceptual precision Experimental paradigms Methodological precision Multidimensional |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Lack of conceptual and methodological precision in operationalizing anxiety, cognitive control, and mindfulness may explain inconsistent findings; a multidimensional framework aligning specific anxiety dimensions with mindfulness states and cognitive control types is proposed. |
Abstract
Prior research has provided initial support for the claim that cognitive control mediates the relationship between anxiety and mindfulness; however, findings are often inconsistent. In this review, we argue that the inconsistency may be due to a lack of both conceptual and methodological precision in terms of how anxiety, cognitive control, and mindfulness are operationalized and assessed, and that this imprecision may be a critical source of study confounds and ambiguous outcomes. We unpack this argument by first decomposing anxiety, cognitive control, mindfulness, and relevant experimental paradigms into key dimensions in order to develop a non-unitary, multi-dimensional taxonomy of these constructs. Subsequently, we review and reinterpret the prior experimental literature, focusing on studies that examine the relationship between anxiety and cognitive control, mindfulness and cognitive control, and the three-way relationship between anxiety, mindfulness, and cognitive control. Across the reviewed studies, there was great variation in the dimensions being examined and the behavioral and/or neural measures employed; therefore, results were often mixed. Based on this review of literature, we propose a conceptually and methodologically precise framework from which to study the effects of mindfulness on cognitive control in anxiety. The framework theoretically aligns anxiety dimensions with specific mindfulness states and interventions, further suggesting how these will impact specific cognitive control dimensions (proactive, reactive). These can be assessed with experimental paradigms and associated behavioral and neural metrics to index the relevant dimensions with high precision. Novel experimental studies and tractable research designs are also proposed to rigorously test this theoretical framework.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review General (healthcare, schools, workplace) | 2021 | Review | |
| A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders | 2017 | Review and consensus statement | |
| Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines | 2005 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology | 2018 | Review | |
| Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression: Challenges and Strategies | 2020 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Psychological trajectories following brief mindfulness training: a longitudinal comparison of active and passive controls Frontiers in Psychology August 26, 2026
- The effect of mindfulness-based intervention on depression in family caregivers of dementia patients: a meta-analysis and GRADE evaluation Frontiers in Psychology May 12, 2026
Cites 14
- 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
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
- Psilocybin desynchronizes the human brain. Nature August 1, 2024
and 9 more in the library