Is dosage of a meditation app associated with changes in psychological distress? It depends on how you ask.
Simon B. Goldberg, Ashley D Kendall, Matthew J. Hirshberg, Cortland J. Dahl, Inbal Nahum‐Shani, Richard J. Davidson, Bethany C Bray
Clinical Psychological Science March 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1177/21677026241266567 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 662 |
| Population | Adults with elevated depression or anxiety (80.4% of sample) |
| Intervention | meditation app |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Dosage Mobile health Optimization |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key findings | Across 41 models, the association between meditation app dosage and decreases in psychological distress varied: some models showed higher dosage linked to larger decreases, but many showed no association or even the opposite pattern. |
Abstract
Despite growing popularity, associations between dosage and outcomes in meditation app interventions have not been established. We examined this relationship using a range of operationalizations of dosage (e.g., minutes of use, days of use, number and type of activities completed) and strategies for modeling outcomes (e.g., ordinary least squares regression, multilevel modeling, latent class analysis). We used data from a recently completed randomized controlled trial testing a meditation app (n=662; 80.4% with elevated depression/anxiety) which included psychological distress as its preregistered primary outcome. Across 41 models, whether or not an association was detected as well as the shape and direction of this association varied. Although several models indicated that higher dosage was associated with larger decreases in psychological distress, many models failed to show this relationship and some even showed the opposite. These results may have implications for optimizing and studying dosage in meditation apps and for open science practices.
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 10
- A meta-analysis of the effects of mindfulness meditation training on self-reported interoception Scientific Reports November 6, 2025
- Can psychedelic use benefit meditation practice? Examining individual, psychedelic, and meditation-related factors. PLoS One February 12, 2025
- Meditation dosage predicts self- and teacher-perceived responsiveness to an 18-month randomised controlled trial Scientific Reports November 2, 2024
- Personalized prediction of response to three meditation practices: A randomized controlled trial Behaviour Research and Therapy August 10, 2026
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Practice Doses in the General Population Through Personalization—A Randomized Controlled Experiment Mindfulness February 12, 2026
and 5 more in the library
Cites 14
- How Does Mindfulness Training Affect Health? A Mindfulness Stress Buffering Account Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2014
- Testing the Efficacy of a Multicomponent, Self-Guided, Smartphone-Based Meditation App: Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR Mental Health November 27, 2020
- Alliance With an Unguided Smartphone App: Validation of the Digital Working Alliance Inventory Assessment May 18, 2021
- Does practice quality mediate the relationship between practice time and outcome in mindfulness-based stress reduction? Journal of Counseling Psychology July 25, 2019
- The efficacy of mindfulness apps on symptoms of depression and anxiety: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review February 1, 2024
and 9 more in the library