The relationship between mindfulness and objective measures of body awareness: A meta-analysis
Isaac N. Treves, Lawrence Y. Tello, Richard J. Davidson, Simon B. Goldberg
Scientific Reports November 22, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53978-6 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA meta-analysis of 15 studies (17 samples, 879 adults) found a small positive relationship between mindfulness and the accuracy of body awareness, with an effect size of g = 0.21. When analyzed by study design, only randomized controlled trials showed a significant link (g = 0.20). Heterogeneity was low, but low fail-safe N estimates reduce confidence in the findings. The results suggest a small but potentially detectable association between mindfulness and body awareness accuracy.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 879 |
| Population | Adults |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Psycinfo Meta-analysis Operationalization |
| Citations | 118 |
| Key finding | A small positive relationship was found between mindfulness and body awareness accuracy (g = 0.21), with only randomized controlled trials showing a significant effect. |
Abstract
Abstract Although awareness of bodily sensations is a common mindfulness meditation technique, studies assessing the relationship between mindfulness and body awareness have provided mixed results. The current study sought to meta-analytically examine the relationship between mindfulness operationalized as a dispositional trait or a construct trained through short- (i.e., randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) or long-term mindfulness meditation practice with objective measures of body awareness accuracy. PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched. Studies were eligible if they reported the association between mindfulness and body awareness, were published in English, and included adults. Across 15 studies (17 independent samples), a small effect was found linking mindfulness with greater body awareness accuracy ( g = 0.21 [0.08, 0.34], N = 879). When separated by study design, only RCTs continued to show a significant relationship ( g = 0.20, [0.02, 0.38], k = 7, n = 505). Heterogeneity of effects was low ( I 2 < 25%), although with wide confidence intervals. Effects were not moderated by study quality. Low fail-safe N estimates reduce confidence in the observed effects. Results suggest a small but potentially detectable relationship between mindfulness and body awareness accuracy. Future investigations could examine individual differences in body awareness as a mechanism within mindfulness interventions.