Skip to content

Dose–response effects of reported meditation practice on mental‐health and wellbeing: A prospective longitudinal study

Nicholas Bowles, Nicholas T. van Dam

Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being August 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.70063 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Longitudinal study Peer reviewed
Sample size 1,053
Population Diverse sample of meditators engaging in self-directed practice in ecologically valid settings
Intervention self-directed meditation practice
Duration 2-month prospective period with 2- to 4-year follow-up
Topics Meditation
Keywords Context archaeology Affect linguistics Distress Mental health Clinical psychology Popularity Longitudinal study Psychotherapist
Citations 6
Key findings Meditation practice dose is significantly associated with improvements in well-being, affect, and distress, with practice frequency being a stronger predictor of beneficial outcomes than session duration.

Abstract

The popularity of meditation has surged in recent years, driven by the accessibility of digital platforms. In this context, shorter sessions have become common, often accompanied by claims of substantial benefits. The vast differences in practice intensity-from traditional monastic training and residential retreats to multi-week Mindfulness-Based Programs and infrequent digital home practice-raise the question of how much practice is necessary to see meaningful benefits. Our previous analysis of lifetime practice history suggested that 160 hours were required for clinically meaningful improvements in psychological distress and life satisfaction, with more needed for stable changes in affect. However, those findings could not address the effects of newly undertaken practice, the best ways to accumulate experience, or how these effects vary by practice history. This study fills these gaps by examining dose-response relationships in a diverse sample of meditators engaging in self-directed practice in ecologically valid settings, while testing the moderating effects of practice history, personality traits, and meditation goals. One thousand fifty-three participants provided data across nine surveys over a two-month period of prospectively monitored, self-directed meditation practice, followed by a 2- to 4-year follow-up. Using a longitudinal design, we examined associations between meditation practice dose and outcomes including positive and negative affect, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Meditation practice dose was significantly associated with improvements in well-being, affect, and distress, with practice frequency being a stronger predictor of beneficial outcomes than session duration. During the 2-month prospective period, after controlling for prior lifetime practice, 35 to 65 minutes daily practice was required for meaningful improvements in well-being, and 50 to 80 minutes daily was needed for meaningful improvements in mental health outcomes. Dose-response effects were moderated by lifetime practice experience across all outcomes, while negative emotionality moderated the relationship for mental health-related outcomes. Additionally, valuing mental health as a practice goal moderated dose-response effects for mental health outcomes, and cumulative practice from baseline to follow-up predicted increased valuation of spiritual growth as a practice goal. Our findings indicate that practitioners with varied practice histories, personality traits, and practice goals/motivations benefit from meditation on outcomes measuring mental health and well-being, with such benefits maintained over a 2-4 year follow-up period.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students 2006 Observational cohort
Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia 1992 Observational cohort n = 22
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls 2005 Observational cohort n = 20
Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls 2011 Observational cohort
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls 2004 Observational cohort

Citations in the library

Cited by 7

and 2 more in the library

Cites 24

and 19 more in the library

Related reading

Explore topics

Meditation