The concept of mindfulness is in the media constantly. We’ve written about it several times on the Evidence-based Living blog. Many people see meditation as a magic bullet that can reduce pain, relieve depression, and sharpen our focus.

When mindfulness is being studied to treat a mental or physical health problem, there are clear methods of measuring improvement. The most thorough, up-to-date meta-analysis (link is external) that measured mindfulness’s effect on health problems was commissioned by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

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What is Mindfulness?

• Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you carefully observe your thoughts and feelings without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to your current experience, rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future.

All About Meditation

• Meditation is the practice of turning your attention to a single point of reference. It can involve focusing on the breath, on bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase known as a mantra. In other words, meditation means turning your attention away from distracting thoughts and focusing on the present moment. Meditating is deceptively simple. A cartoon from The New Yorker sums it up: Two monks are sitting side by side, meditating. The younger one is giving the older one a quizzical look, to which the older one responds, "Nothing happens next. This is it."

What Is Depression?

• Some 15 million Americans a year struggle with depression, an illness that comes in many forms—from major depression and seasonal affective disorder, to dysthymia and bipolar disorder. Depression is an illness that increasingly afflicts people worldwide, interfering with concentration, motivation and many other aspects of everyday functioning. It is a complex disorder, involving many systems of the body, including the immune system, either as cause or effect. It disrupts sleep, and it interferes with appetite, in some cases causing weight loss, in others weight gain. Because of its complexity, a full understanding of depression has been elusive.

Scientists have some evidence that the condition is related to diet, both directly—through the nutrients we consume, such as omega-3 fats—and indirectly, through the composition of the bacteria in the gut. Of course, depression involves mood and thoughts as well as the body, and it causes pain for both those with the disorder and those who care about them. Depression is increasingly common in children.

Everyone experiences an occasional blue mood; depression is a more pervasive experience of repetitive negative rumination, bleak outlook, and lack of energy. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with depression cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. There is some evidence that, painful as depression is, it serves a positive purpose, bringing with it ways of thinking that force people to focus on problems as a prelude to solving them.

Even in the most severe cases, depression is highly treatable. The condition is often cyclical, and early treatment may prevent or forestall recurrent episodes. Many studies show that the most effective treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, which addresses problematic thought patterns, with or without the use of antidepressant drugs. In addition, evidence is quickly accumulating that regular mindfulness meditation, on its own or combined with cognitive therapy, can stop depression before it starts by effectively disengaging attention from the repetitive negative thoughts that often set in motion the downward spiral of mood.

But in fact, the evidence on meditation is flawed; researchers don’t really know how meditation effects the mind and brain. A new sweeping review (link is external) published in the journal Perspectives in Psychological Science takes a careful look at what we know about meditation based on the body of data in hundreds of studies.

• The authors, psychology researchers from across the U.S., Australia, and the Netherlands, make the case that society’s beliefs about mindfulness as a cure-all are misguided. They found the vast majority of evidence available on mindfulness has two main flaws: There is no consistent definition for mindfulness, and researchers don’t have a consistent way to measure the results of mindfulness.
  
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Evidence-Based Living

What Do We Really Know About Mindfulness?
A new review article questions the validity of mindfulness research.
Posted Apr 06, 2018

123RF Stock Photo
Source: 123RF Stock Photo
The concept of mindfulness is in the media constantly. We’ve written about it several times on the Evidence-based Living blog. Many people see meditation as a magic bullet that can reduce pain, relieve depression, and sharpen our focus.

But in fact, the evidence on meditation is flawed; researchers don’t really know how meditation effects the mind and brain. A new sweeping review (link is external) published in the journal Perspectives in Psychological Science takes a careful look at what we know about meditation based on the body of data in hundreds of studies.

The authors, psychology researchers from across the U.S., Australia, and the Netherlands, make the case that society’s beliefs about mindfulness as a cure-all are misguided. They found the vast majority of evidence available on mindfulness has two main flaws: There is no consistent definition for mindfulness, and researchers don’t have a consistent way to measure the results of mindfulness.

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For starters, because there is not a universally-accepted definition of mindfulness, review articles that pull together data from multiple studies are often pooling mismatched data. For example, the authors ask, is using a mindfulness app for five minutes comparable to attending a two-hour guided meditation session at a yoga studio? “Intensity and duration vary greatly, often aren’t reflected in studies,” the authors write.

Until researchers can agree on technical definitions of mindfulness, it is important to understand the details about mindfulness claims in the media. For example, exactly what type of mindfulness can lead to pain relief? Did study participants meditate for 30 minutes a day, or complete a 2-minute exercise before they fell asleep each night?

Second, it is often difficult to measure the mental and cognitive changes associated with meditation. Claims that meditation can sharpen your focus, cultivate awareness, or boost compassion are difficult to substantiate in a clinical trial.

When mindfulness is being studied to treat a mental or physical health problem, there are clear methods of measuring improvement. The most thorough, up-to-date meta-analysis (link is external) that measured mindfulness’s effect on health problems was commissioned by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The review included studies that compared mindfulness-based interventions – specific regimens of meditation – to other treatments. The review found that mindfulness was moderately effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and pain. Mindfulness also yielded some small improvements in reducing stress and improving quality of life.