The Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation

There are thousands of studies that have shown mindfulness meditation can positively impact mental and physical health. Whether it’s by reducing stress, improving sleep, increasing focus, or improving relationships, research shows mindfulness works. While the research on mindfulness, especially digital mindfulness programs, is still growing, there is evidence to support the use of mindfulness training for many outcomes.

Research shows Headspace can positively impact

Stress

Three published studies have shown Headspace can reduce stress in a variety of populations.

Focus

Focus, attention, and decision making are critical for our day to day lives. Headspace can improve focus and decrease mind wandering.

Mood

Research shows Headspace can improve key components of mood, including happiness, and irritability.

Compassion

A published study showed Headspace members showed compassion by giving up their seat to a person in need.

Aggression

Headspace can make people less aggressive and reactive to negative feedback.

Self-compassion

A published study with nurses found that Headspace improved self-compassion.

Work

Headspace has been shown to reduce job strain and burnout, and increase job satisfaction.

Clinical populations

Two published small pilot studies have shown Headspace can improve quality of life in cancer patients. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Anxiety (Preliminary Evidence)

A study conducted by researchers at University of Oxford found 8 weeks of Headspace reduced symptoms of anxiety in employees. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Depression (Preliminary Evidence)

A study conducted by researchers at University of Oxford found 8 weeks of Headspace reduced symptoms of depression in employees. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Three published studies have shown Headspace can reduce stress in a variety of populations.

In addition, general mindfulness research shows an impact on

Sleep

Research shows mindfulness training can improve the quality of sleep for individuals with sleeping difficulties. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Weight loss

Mindfulness has been shown to promote healthy eating behavior, and improve weight loss in overweight or obese individuals. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Relationships

Studies show meditation can improve communication in relationships, and improve satisfaction in romantic relationships.

Chronic disease

The American Heart Association has stated that meditation can help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Pain

Research shows meditation can help support pain management. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Research shows mindfulness training can improve the quality of sleep for individuals with sleeping difficulties. Headspace is not intended to manage, treat, or cure any medical condition.

Brain Neuroplasticity Parts Highlighted v1

How it works

At Headspace, we like to think of meditation as exercise for the brain. Through meditation, we can build up areas of our brain and actually rewire it to enhance positive traits like focus and decision making and diminish the less positive ones like fear and stress. Most importantly, this means there is a possibility to change your brain for the better in a way that is long-lasting.

References

1.

Barnes, S., Brown, K. W., Krusemark, E., Campbell, W. K., & Rogge, R. D. (2007). The role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and responses to relationship stress. Journal of marital and family therapy, 33(4), 482-500.

2.

Bostock, S., Crosswell, A. D., Prather, A. A., & Steptoe, A. (2018). Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. doi:10.1037/ocp0000118.

3.

Carrière, K., Khoury, B., Günak, M. M., & Knäuper, B. (2017). Mindfulness-based interventions for weight loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews,19(2), 164-177. doi:10.1111/obr.12623

4.

Desteno, D., Lim, D., Duong, F., & Condon, P. (2017). Meditation Inhibits Aggressive Responses to Provocations. Mindfulness. doi:10.1007/s12671-017-0847-2

5.

Economides, M., Martman, J., Bell, M. J., & Sanderson, B. (2018). Improvements in Stress, Affect, and Irritability Following Brief Use of a Mindfulness-based Smartphone App: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness. doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0905-4

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Gong, H., Ni, C. X., Liu, Y. Z., Zhang, Y., Su, W. J., Lian, Y. J., ... & Jiang, C. L. (2016). Mindfulness meditation for insomnia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 89, 1-6

7.

Hilton, L., Hempel, S., Ewing, B. A., Apaydin, E., Xenakis, L., Newberry, S., ... & Maglione, M. A. (2016). Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1-15.

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Kozlowski, A. (2013). Mindful mating: Exploring the connection between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 28(1-2), 92-104

9.

Kubo, A., Altschuler, A., Kurtovich, E., Hendlish, S., Laurent, C. A., Kolevska, T., . . . Avins, A. (2018). A Pilot Mobile-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Cancer Patients and Their Informal Caregivers. Mindfulness. doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0931-2

10.

Mistler, L. A., Ben-Zeev, D., Carpenter-Song, E., Brunette, M. F., & Friedman, M. J. (2017). Mobile Mindfulness Intervention on an Acute Psychiatric Unit: Feasibility and Acceptability Study. JMIR Mental Health,4(3). doi:10.2196/mental.7717

11.

Noone, C., & Hogan, M. J. (2018). A randomised active-controlled trial to examine the effects of an online mindfulness intervention on executive control, critical thinking and key thinking dispositions in a university student sample. BMC Psychology,6(1). doi:10.1186/s40359-018-0226-3

12.

Ray, I. B., Menezes, A. R., Malur, P., Hiltbold, A. E., Reilly, J. P., & Lavie, C. J. (2014). Meditation and Coronary Heart Disease: A Review of the Current Clinical Evidence. The Ochsner Journal, 14(4), 696–703

13.

Rosen, K. D., Paniagua, S. M., Kazanis, W., Jones, S., & Potter, J. S. (2018). Quality of Life Among Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Waitlist Controlled Trial of Commercially Available Mobile App-Delivered Mindfulness Training. Psycho-Oncology. doi:10.1002/pon.4764

14.

Son, J. V., Nyklicek, I., Pop, V. J., Blonk, M. C., Erdtsieck, R. J., Spooren, P. F., . . . Pouwer, F. (2012). The Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Emotional Distress, Quality of Life, and HbA1c in Outpatients With Diabetes (DiaMind): A randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care,36(4), 823-830. doi:10.2337/dc12-1477

15.

Wen, L., Sweeney, T. E., Welton, L., Trockel, M., & Katznelson, L. (2017). Encouraging Mindfulness in Medical House Staff via Smartphone App: A Pilot Study. Academic Psychiatry,41(5), 646-650. doi:10.1007/s40596-017-0768-3

16.

Wylde, C. M., Mahrer, N. E., Meyer, R. M., & Gold, J. I. (2017). Mindfulness for Novice Pediatric Nurses: Smartphone Application Versus Traditional Intervention. Journal of Pediatric Nursing,36, 205-212. doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2017.06.008

17.

Yang, E., Schamber, E., Meyer, R. M., & Gold, J. I. (2018). Happier Healers: Randomized Controlled Trial of Mobile Mindfulness for Stress Management. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine,24(5), 505-513. doi:10.1089/acm.2015.0301