A Systematic Review of Associations between Amount of Meditation Practice and Outcomes in Interventions Using the Four Immeasurables Meditations.
Xianglong Zeng, Floria H. N. Chio, Tian P S Oei, Freedom Y K Leung, Xiangping Liu
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2017 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00141 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA systematic review of 22 interventions using the Four Immeasurables Meditations (loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity) found that increased meditation practice time generally did not lead to better outcomes. Only five studies reported that more than half of the calculated associations between practice amount and results were significant. Short-term influence of meditation practice showed a better association with outcomes than total practice amount, but this was examined in fewer studies. The review identifies two promising mechanisms for how practice may lead to daily-life changes and highlights common methodological issues, such as lack of experimental manipulation and inaccurate measurement of meditation practice.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | FIM interventions reporting associations between meditation practice amount and outcomes |
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Keywords | Active component Appreciative joy Compassion Dose response relationship |
| Key finding | There were generally few significant associations between the amount of meditation practice and its outcomes across 22 Four Immeasurables Meditations interventions. |
Abstract
Interventions using the "Four Immeasurables Meditations" (FIM) are effective for various outcomes; however, whether increased meditation practice in these interventions leads to better results has not been well investigated. This systematic review included 22 FIM interventions that reported associations between the amount of meditation practice and its outcomes. Despite the heterogeneity in intervention components and outcome variables, there were generally few significant associations between amount of meditation practice and its outcomes. Specifically, only five studies reported that more than half of the calculated results were significant. In comparison with correlations between total amount of practice and overall outcomes, the short-term influence of meditation practice was evaluated in fewer studies; however, it had a better association with outcomes. More studies are required that address the underlying mechanisms that elucidate how meditation practice leads to outcome changes in daily life. In this study, two promising mechanisms with initial evidence were discussed. This review also summarized common methodological issues including a lack of experimental manipulation and inaccurate measuring of meditation practice.