The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis.
Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012 Peter Sedlmeier, Juliane Eberth, Marcus Schwarz et al. 910 citations
A meta-analysis of 163 studies on meditation in nonclinical adults found medium average effects (r = .28) on psychological variables, not explainable by relaxation or cognitive restructuring alone. Effects were strongest for emotionality and relationships (medium to large), medium for attention, and small to medium for cognitive measures. Results varied by meditation type (transcendental, mindfulness, other). Meditation experience only partially predicted long-term impact. Most of 595 initial studies were excluded due to methodological problems, and many lacked theoretical grounding. The authors call for more precise theories and measurement tools to understand how meditation works.