Half a Century of Research for Mind–Body Interventions: A Scientometric Analysis

A scientometric analysis of 16,310 documents from 1973 to 2023 reveals that mindfulness dominates mind–body intervention research, but each practice—Yoga, Qi-gong, Tai-chi, Vipassana, Zen, Loving-kindness, and Transcendental meditation—has distinct research clusters focused on different mental and physical health issues, such as substance abuse, schizophrenia, back pain, and dementia. The findings suggest that future research should recognize the unique contributions of each practice rather than treating them as a single category.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Objectives We conducted a scientometric analysis on mind–body interventions to assess themes and trends in recent decades, providing insights for prospective research directions. Our systematic search, completed on 1 November, 2023, encompassed the Web of Science Core Collection and focused on scientific publications related to contemplative practices: Mindfulness, Yoga, Qi-gong, Tai-chi, Vipassana, Zen, Loving-kindness, and Transcendental meditation. Method Integration of network analyses and bibliometrics using Bibliometrix and CiteSpace allowed us to identify evolving research themes. Our primary objective was to measure the evolution of research trends, while secondary aims involved uncovering influence networks tied to countries, publications, institutions, and authors. Co-citation reference networks specific to each mind–body practice were extracted. Results Our analysis incorporated 16,310 documents (389,632 references) spanning the years 1973 to 2023, forming a well-structured network with credible clustering. The overarching dataset highlighted the dominance of mindfulness practice in the realm of mind–body interventions. To further explore research patterns, we explored individual co-citation reference networks for each practice, revealing varying sizes for Mindfulness ( n = 2278), Yoga ( n = 1303), Qi-gong ( n = 582), Tai-chi ( n = 1000), Vipassana ( n = 344), Zen ( n = 454), Loving-kindness ( n = 552), and Transcendental meditation ( n = 834). Each practice exhibited distinct clusters, focusing on applications for diverse mental disorders and physical health issues, ranging from substance abuse to schizophrenia, and from back pain to dementia. Conclusions While research on mind–body interventions has been predominantly influenced by mindfulness in recent decades, each type of mind–body intervention contributes uniquely to both theoretical and clinical contexts. These insights have significant implications for funding agencies and research groups, guiding future directions in the field. Preregistration The preregistered protocol can be found online ( https://osf.io/qzb3c/ ).