Rankings / Mood, Anxiety & Stress
Meditation / mindfulness
Mood, Anxiety & Stress · Other
Tier A+
What this is
Goyal JAMA 2014: mindfulness programs show moderate evidence for anxiety/depression/pain comparable to active treatments. Epel/Blackburn work links long-term meditation to telomere maintenance.
Mechanism
Attentional training modulates default mode network; reduces amygdala reactivity; autonomic shift toward parasympathetic; possible telomerase upregulation
Dose & route
10-30 min/day; MBSR 8-week programs well-studied; apps like Waking Up, Headspace, 10% Happier
Citations
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1809754
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23290497/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3072911/
- https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.32229181
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39240398/
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This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.