February 19, 2023
Kevin M. Riordan, Otto Simonsson, Corrina Frye et al.
2 citations
preprint
A two-week compassion-based meditation intervention delivered via the Healthy Minds Program app led to improvements in psychological distress, experiential avoidance, fear of missing out, loneliness, and self-compassion among undergraduates with clinically elevated depression and/or anxiety. Participants were randomized to either one 20-minute meditation per day (Massed condition) or two 10-minute meditations per day (Distributed condition). Both groups showed similar improvements, with no significant differences between conditions on any outcome. When total daily meditation time is held constant, distributing practice across the day does not appear to influence outcomes for distressed beginners, supporting flexibility in meditation scheduling.
February 10, 2023
Qiang Xie, Kevin M. Riordan, Scott A. Baldwin et al.
2 citations
preprint
Among clinically distressed adults with no meditation experience who used a smartphone-based loving-kindness and compassion training program for two weeks, those who increased their informal meditation practice (using techniques outside formal sessions) showed greater reductions in psychological distress and loneliness from before to after the intervention, though no changes in empathy or prosociality were observed. Daily analyses indicated that more informal practice on a given day predicted lower distress the next day, but not lower loneliness. Distress and loneliness did not predict subsequent informal practice. The findings suggest that informal practice may play a causal role in reducing distress, but further experimental studies are needed.
medRxiv
June 16, 2021
Tammi R. A. Kral, Kaley Davis, Cole Korponay et al.
2 citations
preprint
A large, rigorously controlled study combining data from two three-arm randomized controlled trials found no evidence that an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course produces changes in brain structure. Meditation-naive participants (218 total) were randomly assigned to a waitlist, an 8-week MBSR program, or a validated active control group. Structural MRI scans taken before and after the intervention showed no significant differences in gray matter volume, gray matter density, or cortical thickness between MBSR and either control group, at either the whole-brain level or in brain regions previously linked to MBSR. These results fail to replicate earlier, widely cited claims of MBSR-induced neuroplasticity.
PLoS ONE
August 28, 2019
Simon B. Goldberg, Matthew J. Hirshberg, Lawrence Y. Tello et al.
2 citations
Long-term meditators are perceived by observers as less neurotic and more conscientious, mindful, and comfortable in their own skin than meditation-naïve individuals, based solely on ratings of still photographs. These differences were not explained by age, gender, race/ethnicity, body mass index, or attractiveness. No such differences were observed after an eight-week mindfulness meditation course, an active control program, or a waitlist period, suggesting that observable facial cues linked to meditation may require extensive training to emerge.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
July 14, 2024
Isaac N. Treves, Aaron Kucyi, Madelynn Park et al.
1 citation
preprint
Trait mindfulness—the tendency to attend to present-moment experience non-judgmentally—is linked to better mental health, but its neural basis remains unclear. In the largest resting-state fMRI study of trait mindfulness to date, involving 367 adults across three samples, researchers used connectome predictive modeling to test whether brain connectivity patterns could predict mindfulness scores. No connections predicted overall trait mindfulness, but models for two subscales—Acting with Awareness and Non-judging—were identified. Positive networks for these subscales involved fronto-parietal and default-mode networks, respectively. Negative networks, which overlapped across subscales, included somatomotor, visual, and default-mode connections. Only negative networks generalized to predict subscale scores in some out-of-sample datasets, and predictions correlated negatively with a mind-wandering model. The incomplete generalization and model overlap highlight the challenge of identifying robust brain markers for mindfulness facets.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
May 10, 2024
Christina Maher, Lea Tortolero, Daniel D. Cummins et al.
1 citation
preprint
Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) increases gamma power and alters the duration of beta and gamma oscillatory bursts in the amygdala and hippocampus of first-time meditators. These changes were specific to periodic features of neural activity, not aperiodic ones. The findings reveal how LKM modulates limbic brain activity, offering insight into the neural basis of meditation's effects on emotional regulation and well-being.
November 3, 2023
Qiang Xie, Rachel L. Dyer, Sin U Lam et al.
1 citation
preprint
Brief, informal meditation practices done during daily activities may help make meditation-based interventions more effective and accessible. Interviews with 17 participants after a 4-week smartphone meditation program revealed four themes: reported benefits, how they integrated practice into daily life, barriers to practice, and recommended facilitators. Barriers included lack of reminders and social support; facilitators included personalized app features and repeating intervention content. Addressing these factors could increase engagement with informal practice.
July 31, 2022
Christian A. Webb, Matthew J. Hirshberg, Richard J. Davidson et al.
1 citation
An algorithm was developed to predict who benefits most from a meditation app. Using data from a randomized controlled trial of a 4-week meditation app versus a control condition in 662 school system employees, a machine learning model created a Personalized Advantage Index (PAI) that estimated each person's expected reduction in distress. The PAI scores significantly predicted which individuals improved more with the app than without. A simpler model using only repetitive negative thinking as a predictor performed similarly well. The algorithm could help individuals make informed decisions about whether a meditation app is right for them.
July 29, 2021
Christian A. Webb, Matthew J. Hirshberg, Richard J. Davidson et al.
1 citation
preprint
A meditation app called the Healthy Minds Program (HMP) can reduce psychological distress, but its benefits vary by individual. Using data from a randomized controlled trial of 662 school system employees who used the app for four weeks or served as controls, researchers built an algorithm that predicts who will benefit most. The algorithm, called a Personalized Advantage Index, was based on baseline clinical and demographic traits and successfully identified individuals who showed greater distress reduction with the app versus no intervention. A simpler model using only repetitive negative thinking worked nearly as well. The approach could help people decide whether to try a meditation app.
JMIR Mental Health
June 12, 2026
Polina Beloborodova, Lillian M. Smith, Kevin M. Riordan et al.
About 28% of distressed college students and 10% of distressed US adults reported at least one adverse experience during a digital meditation program, but rates did not differ between those who completed guided meditations and those who did not, suggesting the experiences were not caused by meditation itself. Higher baseline depression, anxiety, loneliness, experiential avoidance, and perceived barriers to meditation predicted more adverse experiences. Among those reporting adverse experiences, roughly 90% were glad to have learned to meditate. Participants used diverse coping strategies, often drawing on skills taught in the program. The findings indicate that adverse experiences during meditation training may reflect preexisting distress rather than iatrogenic harm.