Mindfulness enhances cognitive functioning: a meta-analysis of 111 randomized controlled trials.
Nur Hani Zainal, Michelle G Newman
Health Psychology Review June 2024 DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2023.2248222 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9,538 |
| Population | Meditation-naive participants across 111 randomized controlled trials, including healthy controls, people with elevated psychiatric symptoms, and medical samples |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based interventions Cognitive functioning Executive function Meta-analysis Randomised controlled trials |
| Key findings | MBIs yielded small-to-moderate significant effects on global cognition and six cognitive subdomains (executive attention, working memory accuracy, inhibition accuracy, shifting accuracy, sustained attention, subjective cognitive functioning; g = 0.257-0.643 vs waitlist/no-treatment; g = 0.192-0.394 vs active controls), but did not impact EF latency indices, verbal fluency, processing speed, episodic memory, or cognitive error. The authors conclude these effects are small-to-moderate yet practically meaningful, favoring accuracy-based over latency-based measures. |
Abstract
Currently no comprehensive meta-analysis of MBI efficacy on global and unique cognitive subdomains exist. Examined the effects of MBIs on global cognition and 15 cognitive subdomains. Inclusion criteria: meditation naïve participants; randomized controlled trial; outcome included one objective or subjective cognitive functioning measure; primary focus was teaching mindfulness skills. Exclusion criteria: inadequate data; one-session ; control condition contained any MBI component. Robust variance estimation and moderator analyses controlling for presence of treatment fidelity were conducted. One-hundred-and-eleven RCTs (n = 9,538) met eligibility criteria. MBIs had small-to-moderate significant effects on global cognition, executive attention, working memory accuracy, inhibition accuracy, shifting accuracy, sustained attention, and subjective cognitive functioning (vs. waitlist/no-treatment, g = 0.257-0.643; vs. active controls, g = 0.192-0.394). MBIs did not impact executive functioning (EF) latency indices, verbal fluency, processing speed, episodic memory, and cognitive error. Treatment effects were stronger for those with elevated psychiatric symptoms vs. healthy controls, and medical samples, studies with complete-case (vs. intention-to-treat) analysis, face-to-face (vs. self-guided) delivery, and non-standard (vs. standard MBI). MBIs consistently yielded small-to-moderate yet practically meaningful effect sizes on global cognition and six cognitive subdomains that captured accuracy vs. latency-based indices of EF and sustained accuracy.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 28
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review of Neurocognitive Outcomes and Applications for Mental Health and Well-Being. Journal of Clinical Medicine March 3, 2025
- Is a brief mindfulness ecological momentary intervention more efficacious than a self-monitoring app for social anxiety disorder? A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders June 1, 2024
- The associations and effects of mindfulness on anger and aggression: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review June 1, 2025
- Mindfulness Training in Military Settings: Emerging Evidence and Best-Practice Guidance. Current Psychiatry Reports June 1, 2025
- The Effects of Mindfulness‐Based Intervention on Cognitive Functions in Tertiary Students: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis Applied Cognitive Psychology May 1, 2025
and 23 more in the library
Cites 53
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- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 48 more in the library