Mindfulness Meditation App Abandonment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study.
Mariah Sullivan, Jennifer Huberty, Yunro Chung, Chad Stecher
Mindfulness May 4, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-023-02125-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3,275 |
| Population | Subscribers to the Calm meditation app surveyed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, divided into long-term (>1 year before pandemic), pre-pandemic (<4 months before pandemic), and pandemic subscribers |
| Duration | Survey at start of pandemic (March 2020); app usage data collected from subscription start until May 2021 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | App abandonment Habit cues Mindfulness meditation Mobile app Survival analysis Mhealth |
| Key findings | Meditating after an existing routine was associated with lower risk of app abandonment for pre-pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio 0.607) and pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio 0.434), and meditating "whenever I can" was associated with lower abandonment among pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio 0.437). No behavioral factors significantly predicted abandonment among long-term subscribers. The authors contend these results support pairing a new behavior with an existing routine to build health habits. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation apps are used by millions of adults in the USA to improve mental health. However, many new app subscribers quickly abandon their use. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavioral, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with the abandonment of meditation apps during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was distributed to subscribers of a popular meditation app, Calm, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 that assessed meditation app behavior and meditation habit strength, as well as demographic and socioeconomic information. App usage data were also collected from the start of each participant's subscription until May 2021. A total of 3275 respondents were included in the analyses. Participants were divided into three cohorts according to their subscription start date: (1) long-term subscribers (> 1 year before pandemic start), (2) pre-pandemic subscribers (< 4 months before pandemic start), and (3) pandemic subscribers (joined during the pandemic). Meditating after an existing routine was associated with a lower risk of app abandonment for pre-pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio = 0.607, 95% CI: 0.422, 0.874; p = 0.007) and for pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio = 0.434, 95% CI: 0.285, 0.66; p < 0.001). Additionally, meditating "whenever I can" was associated with lower risk of abandonment among pandemic subscribers (hazard ratio = 0.437, 95% CI: 0.271, 0.706; p < 0.001), and no behavioral factors were significant predictors of app abandonment among the long-term subscribers. These results show that combining meditation with an existing daily routine was a commonly utilized strategy for promoting persistent meditation app use during the COVID-19 pandemic for many subscribers. This finding supports existing evidence that pairing new behaviors with an existing routine is an effective method for establishing new health habits. This study is not pre-registered.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Understanding the Implementation of Informal Meditation Practice in a Smartphone-Based Intervention: A Qualitative Analysis November 3, 2023
- “Boiled Water Softens the Potato But Hardens the Egg”: Perceived Utility of Mindfulness and Reappraisal Strategies and Relations to Compliance In Situ Mindfulness October 14, 2026
- Altered states of consciousness induced by online chanting meditation Current Psychology May 21, 2025
- Technology and Meditation: Exploring the Challenges and Benefits of a Physical Device to Support Meditation Routine Multimodal Technologies and Interaction January 29, 2024
- Making Mindfulness Meditation a Healthy Habit Mindfulness December 1, 2023
Cites 6
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and 1 more in the library