ArticlePerspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science2018
Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation.
Article in Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 378 papers, 21 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Novel in Vivo Synaptic Imaging in Experienced Meditators
Differential Contributions of Online Stress and Pain-explicit Mindfulness Treatment Groups to Processes, Patient Experience and Outcomes in Chronic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Qualitative Analysis
From the Heart Multi-Centre Study: Comparing the Effects of Spiritual and Secular Meditation on Psychophysiology, Cognition, Mental Health, and Social Functioning in Healthy Adults
Who cites it
378 citing papers in PubMed, 21 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Mindfulness-based interventions for gambling disorder: A systematic review.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2026Pooled it
- Mindfulness-Based Programmes for Work Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2025Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of the effects of mindfulness meditation training on self-reported interoception.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review on the effectiveness of unstandardized mindfulness interventions in improving dietary and physical activity outcomes in healthy adults.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Consumer-Grade Neurofeedback With Mindfulness Meditation: Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- A network meta-analysis of mind-body exercise interventions for internet addiction symptoms in young adults.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Can mindfulness-based interventions reduce PTSD symptoms? An umbrella review.Journal of anxiety disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Mindfulness enhances cognitive functioning: a meta-analysis of 111 randomized controlled trials.Health psychology review · 2024Pooled it
- The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on alleviating academic burnout in medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Pain, mindfulness, and placebo: a systematic review.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- The mindful leader: a review of leadership qualities derived from mindfulness meditation.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Keeping the promise: a critique of the current state of microdosing research.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review of the strength of evidence for the most commonly recommended happiness strategies in mainstream media.Nature human behaviour · 2023Pooled it
- Meditation, mindfulness, and acceptance methods in psychotherapy: A systematic review.Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research · 2023Pooled it
- Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of fMRI studies on arousing or wake-promoting effects in Buddhist meditation.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Pooled it
- Disinformation: A Bibliometric Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on fatigue and psychological wellbeing in women with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised control trials.Psycho-oncology · 2022Pooled it
- Individual differences in meditation interventions: A meta-analytic study.British journal of health psychology · 2022Pooled it
- The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Neuropsychology review · 2022Pooled it
318 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
Abstract
During the past two decades, mindfulness meditation has gone from being a fringe topic of scientific investigation to being an occasional replacement for psychotherapy, tool of corporate well-being, widely implemented educational practice, and "key to building more resilient soldiers." Yet the mindfulness movement and empirical evidence supporting it have not gone without criticism. Misinformation and poor methodology associated with past studies of mindfulness may lead public consumers to be harmed, misled, and disappointed. Addressing such concerns, the present article discusses the difficulties of defining mindfulness, delineates the proper scope of research into mindfulness practices, and explicates crucial methodological issues for interpreting results from investigations of mindfulness. For doing so, the authors draw on their diverse areas of expertise to review the present state of mindfulness research, comprehensively summarizing what we do and do not know, while providing a prescriptive agenda for contemplative science, with a particular focus on assessment, mindfulness training, possible adverse effects, and intersection with brain imaging. Our goals are to inform interested scientists, the news media, and the public, to minimize harm, curb poor research practices, and staunch the flow of misinformation about the benefits, costs, and future prospects of mindfulness meditation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.