How Does Mindfulness Training Affect Health? A Mindfulness Stress Buffering Account
J. David Creswell, Emily K. Lindsay
Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0963721414547415 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Affect linguistics Psychological intervention Mental health Clinical psychology Psychotherapist Disease |
| Citations | 548 |
| Key points | Proposes that mindfulness-based health effects are most likely observed in high-stress populations where stress affects disease pathogenesis. |
Abstract
Initial well-controlled studies have suggested that mindfulness training interventions can improve a broad range of mental and physical health outcomes (e.g., HIV pathogenesis, depression relapse, inflammation, drug abuse), yet the underlying pathways linking mindfulness and health are poorly understood. In this article, we offer a mindfulness stress buffering account to explain these health outcomes, which posits that mindfulness-based health effects are mostly likely to be observed in high-stress populations for which stress is known to affect the onset or exacerbation of disease pathogenic processes. We then offer an evidence-based biological model of mindfulness, stress buffering, and health.