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Mindfulness in the digital workplace: an explorative study of the compatibility of mindfulness and technology

Sammy J. S. Wrede, Tobias Esch, Maren M. Michaelsen

BMC Digital Health August 19, 2025 DOI: 10.1186/s44247-025-00186-0 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 15
Population Experts specializing in technology and mindfulness in the workplace
Topics Meditation
Key findings The authors propose that mindfulness and digital technology can be compatible in the workplace up to a "Tipping Point," reached when wearables are added beyond mindfulness apps. They identify two themes, "Mindful by Workplace-Design" and "Working Mindfully in a Digital Cooperation," and suggest modifications for digital workplaces, while also pointing to limits of digital mindfulness and opportunities for cooperation between mindfulness and technology.

Abstract

Mindfulness has made its way into the business context. Simultaneously, several options for digitally encouraging mindfulness have been proposed in recent years, with opposing opinions questioning the compatibility of mindfulness and technology, claiming it is a paradox. This study aims to examine the compatibility of mindfulness and technology, i.e., how mindfulness and digitalization interact as compatible or incongruous phenomena in the digital working context. Semistructured interviews with 15 experts, all specializing in technology and mindfulness in the workplace, were conducted to generate hypotheses of digital mindfulness at work. Qualitative content analysis as well as content analysis via extraction were utilized in this study to explore mutual relationships. Information about workplace mindfulness, digitalization, technology and digital stress was synthesized. The themes “Mindful by Workplace-Design” (a) and “Working Mindfully in a Digital Cooperation” (b) resulted in suggested modifications for digital workplaces. The compatibility of the two phenomena escalated at the “Tipping Point” (c), reached beyond the use of mindfulness apps, i.e., when wearables are added. The results point out the limits of digital mindfulness, as well as opportunities for the cooperation of mindfulness and technology. For employers, this study provides guidance for shaping mindful digital workplaces and mindful work cultures.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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