Mindfulness and Behavior Change
Zev Schuman-Olivier, Marcelo Trombka, David Lovas, Judson A. Brewer, David R. Vago, Richa Gawande, Julie P Dunne, Sara W. Lazar, Eric B Loucks, Carl Fulwiler
Harvard Review of Psychiatry November 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1097/hrp.0000000000000277 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Integrative review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions may facilitate health behavior change through mechanisms involving motivation, learning, self-regulation, and neural systems. |
Abstract
Abstract Initiating and maintaining behavior change is key to the prevention and treatment of most preventable chronic medical and psychiatric illnesses. The cultivation of mindfulness, involving acceptance and nonjudgment of present-moment experience, often results in transformative health behavior change. Neural systems involved in motivation and learning have an important role to play. A theoretical model of mindfulness that integrates these mechanisms with the cognitive, emotional, and self-related processes commonly described, while applying an integrated model to health behavior change, is needed. This integrative review (1) defines mindfulness and describes the mindfulness-based intervention movement, (2) synthesizes the neuroscience of mindfulness and integrates motivation and learning mechanisms within a mindful self-regulation model for understanding the complex effects of mindfulness on behavior change, and (3) synthesizes current clinical research evaluating the effects of mindfulness-based interventions targeting health behaviors relevant to psychiatric care. The review provides insight into the limitations of current research and proposes potential mechanisms to be tested in future research and targeted in clinical practice to enhance the impact of mindfulness on behavior change.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 121
- Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal Cell Reports Medicine 2023
- Psychosocial-spiritual well-being is related to resilience and mindfulness in patients with severe and/or life-limiting medical illness BMC Palliative Care September 11, 2023
- Mindfulness improves psychological health and supports health behaviour cognitions: Evidence from a pragmatic RCT of a digital mindfulness-based intervention. British Journal of Health Psychology November 1, 2024
- The effects of mindfulness-based techniques on self-rumination, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression among patients with major depression: a nursing perspective. Journal of Research in Nursing August 1, 2024
- Consciously Connected: The Role of Mindfulness for Mobile Phone Connectedness and Stress Media Psychology September 5, 2023
and 116 more in the library
Cites 147
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
and 142 more in the library