Work

The relationship between mindfulness and objective measures of body awareness: A meta-analysis

Year: 2019

Type: review

Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

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.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53978-6

Authors: Isaac N. Treves, Lawrence Y. Tello, Richard J. Davidson, Simon B. Goldberg

Institutions: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Language: English

Topic: Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,790