The DOI matches its Crossref record; 64 of the 64 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 97 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Can mindfulness be too much of a good thing? The value of a middle way
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Previous research has found that very few, if any, psychological or physiological processes are universally beneficial. Instead, positive phenomena tend to follow a non-monotonic or inverted U-shaped trajectory where their typically positive effects eventually turn negative. This review investigates mindfulness-related processes for signs of non-monotonicity. A number of mindfulness-related processes-including, mindful attention (observing awareness, interoception), mindfulness qualities, mindful emotion regulation (prefrontal control, decentering, exposure, acceptance), and meditation practice-show signs of non-monotonicity, boundary conditions, or negative effects under certain conditions. A research agenda that investigates the possibility of mindfulness as non-monotonic may be able to provide an explanatory framework for the mix of positive, null, and negative effects that could maximize the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions.
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54 Not checked yet · 15 Own interpretation
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In the paper
“However, high levels of self-focused attention have also been found to be associated with psychopathology and negative affect [14,15].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Observing awareness:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [14] Ingram RE: Self-focused attention in clinical disorders: review and a conceptual model. Psychol Bull 1990, 107: 156– 176. 2181521 source
- Not checked yetcites [15] Mor N, Winquist J: Self-focused attention and negative affect: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 2002, 128: 638– 662. 12081086 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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In the paper
“In support of this hypothesis, mindfulness-related increases in body awareness are associated with greater wellbeing for chronic pain patients who tend to avoid their bodies [19].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Interoception and the insula cortex:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [19] de Jong M, Lazar SW, Hug K, Mehling WE, Holzel BK, Sack AT, Peeters F, Ashih H, Mischoulon D, Gard T: Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Body Awareness in Patients with Chronic Pain and Comorbid Depression. Front Psychol 2016, 7: 967. 27445929 PMC4927571 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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In the paper
“However, a few studies have suggested that the correlation between observing awareness and negative outcomes is reduced when observing awareness is correlated with non-judgment and non-reactivity, qualities that are often (but not always) considered essential dimensions of mindfulness [8,16].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Observing awareness:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [8] Sahdra B, Ciarrochi J, Parker P, Basarkod G, Bradshaw E, Baer R: Are people mindful in different ways? Disentangling the quantity and quality of mindfulness in latent profiles and exploring their lnks to mental health and life effectiveness. European Journal of Personality 2017, 31: 347– 365. source
- Not checked yetcites [16] Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Walsh EC, Charnigo RJ Jr., Lynam DR, Baer RA: The “what” and the “how” of dispositional mindfulness: using interactions among subscales of the five-facet mindfulness questionnaire to understand its relation to substance use. Assessment 2012, 19: 276– 286. 22589412 PMC3715554 source
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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In the paper
“Intentionally directing attention to one’s present-moment experience—a central aspect of mindfulness—has been associated with many positive outcomes [4].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Observing awareness:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [4] Brown KW, Ryan RM: The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003, 84: 822– 848. 12703651 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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In the paper
“accumulating evidence across multiple disciplines suggests that the inverted U-shaped curve or non-monotonic relationship between psychological or physiological processes and wellbeing or performance may be so “fundamental and ubiquitous” [1] as to represent a “meta-theoretical principle” [3].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Introduction
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [1] Grant AM, Schwartz B: Too Much of a Good Thing: The Challenge and Opportunity of the Inverted U. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 61– 76. 26162116 source
- Not checked yetcites [3] Pierce J, Aguinis H: The too-much-of-a-good-thing effect in management. Journal of Management 2013, 39: 313– 338.
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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In the paper
“However, while reversing interoceptive deficits may confer wide-ranging and transdiagnostic benefits, this does not mean that higher levels of interoception or insula activation beyond deficit reversal will continue to confer increasing benefit.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Interoception and the insula cortex:
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A number of mindfulness-related processes—including, mindful attention (observing awareness, interoception), mindfulness qualities, mindful emotion regulation (prefrontal control, decentering, exposure, acceptance), and meditation practice—show signs of non-monotonicity, boundary conditions, or negative effects under certain conditions.”
- Also stated in: § Mindfulness-related processes, non-monotonicity, and influencing factors · hedged
“Like most other psychological processes, the above examples suggest that at least some MRPs are likely non-monotonic.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Abstract
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- Rests on an assumption: Negative effects observed in meditation studies are caused by the mindfulness-related processes themselves rather than by confounding factors.
- Also stated in: § Mindfulness-related processes, non-monotonicity, and influencing factors · hedged
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“High levels of interoception and/or insula activation are associated with a wide range of undesirable effects, including increased arousal and emotional intensity, depression, sadness, anxiety, panic, traumatic flashbacks and clinical pain syndromes [23–27]”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Interoception and the insula cortex:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [23] Etkin A, Wager TD: Functional neuroimaging of anxiety: a meta-analysis of emotional processing in PTSD, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. Am J Psychiatry 2007, 164: 1476– 1488. 17898336 PMC3318959 source
- Not checked yetcites [24] Moeller-Bertram T, Keltner J, Strigo IA: Pain and post traumatic stress disorder -review of clinical and experimental evidence. Neuropharmacology 2012, 62: 586– 597. 21586297 source
- Not checked yetcites [25] Nardo D, Hogberg G, Flumeri F, Jacobsson H, Larsson SA, Hallstrom T, Pagani M: Self-rating scales assessing subjective well-being and distress correlate with rCBF in PTSD-sensitive regions. Psychol Med 2011, 41: 2549– 2561. 21672299 source
- Not checked yetcites [26] Craig AD: How do you feel--now? The anterior insula and human awareness. Nat Rev Neurosci 2009, 10: 59– 70. 19096369 source
- Not checked yetcites [27] Martinez E, Aira Z, Buesa I, Aizpurua I, Rada D, Azkue JJ: Embodied pain in fibromyalgia: Disturbed somatorepresentations and increased plasticity of the body schema. PLoS One 2018, 13: e0194534. 29624596 PMC5889164 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Because deficits in interoception and insula cortex hypoactivation are associated with many forms of psychopathology, mindfulness training is hypothesized to bring about beneficial effects by increasing interoception or body awareness and insula activation [13,18].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Interoception and the insula cortex:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [13] Holzel BK, Lazar SW, Gard T, Schuman-Olivier Z, Vago DR, Ott U: How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 537– 559. 26168376 source
- Not checked yetcites [18] Murphy J, Brewer R, Catmur C, Bird G: Interoception and psychopathology: A developmental neuroscience perspective. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017, 23: 45– 56. 28081519 PMC6987654 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Previous research has found that very few, if any, psychological or physiological processes are universally beneficial. Instead, positive phenomena tend to follow a non-monotonic or inverted U-shaped trajectory where their typically positive effects eventually turn negative.”
- Also stated in: § Introduction · plain
“The too-much-of-a-good-thing effect occurs when normally “positive phenomena reach inflection points at which their effects turn negative” [1].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [1] Grant AM, Schwartz B: Too Much of a Good Thing: The Challenge and Opportunity of the Inverted U. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 61– 76. 26162116 source
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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- Also stated in: § Introduction · plain
- It may state two separate claims as one. 26
- Probably not a substantial claim. 12
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Indeed, high levels of the observing awareness facet of mindfulness have been repeatedly found to be associated with worse mental health, including increased depression, anxiety, dissociation, and substance abuse [8,16] and decreased ability to tolerate pain [17].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Observing awareness:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [8] Sahdra B, Ciarrochi J, Parker P, Basarkod G, Bradshaw E, Baer R: Are people mindful in different ways? Disentangling the quantity and quality of mindfulness in latent profiles and exploring their lnks to mental health and life effectiveness. European Journal of Personality 2017, 31: 347– 365. source
- Not checked yetcites [16] Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Walsh EC, Charnigo RJ Jr., Lynam DR, Baer RA: The “what” and the “how” of dispositional mindfulness: using interactions among subscales of the five-facet mindfulness questionnaire to understand its relation to substance use. Assessment 2012, 19: 276– 286. 22589412 PMC3715554 source
- Not checked yetcites [17] Evans DR, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Button DF, Baer RA, Segerstrom SC: Self-Regulatory Deficits Associated with Unpracticed Mindfulness Strategies for Coping with Acute Pain. J Appl Soc Psychol 2014, 44: 23– 30. 25843972 PMC4383260 source
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Increases in the size and activation of the insular cortex have been found to result from both short and long-term meditation training, and correlate with the amount of practice [20–22].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful attention > Interoception and the insula cortex:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [20] Fox KC, Nijeboer S, Dixon ML, Floman JL, Ellamil M, Rumak SP, Sedlmeier P, Christoff K: Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of morphometric neuroimaging in meditation practitioners. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014, 43: 48– 73. 24705269 source
- Not checked yetcites [21] Fox KC, Dixon ML, Nijeboer S, Girn M, Floman JL, Lifshitz M, Ellamil M, Sedlmeier P, Christoff K: Functional neuroanatomy of meditation: A review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging investigations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016, 65: 208– 228. 27032724 source
- Not checked yetcites [22] Gotink RA, Meijboom R, Vernooij MW, Smits M, Hunink MG: 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction induces brain changes similar to traditional long-term meditation practice -A systematic review. Brain Cogn 2016, 108: 32– 41. 27429096 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“In concluding “there is no such thing as an unmitigated good,” Grant and Schwartz [1] hypothesize that mindfulness is also likely to have non-monotonic effects and recommend that researchers study its boundary conditions more carefully.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Introduction
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [1] Grant AM, Schwartz B: Too Much of a Good Thing: The Challenge and Opportunity of the Inverted U. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 61– 76. 26162116 source
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: fails — The authors may not put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Grant and Schwartz [1] demonstrate that even virtues and positive traits like curiosity and optimism are non-monotonic; they have an optimum level above or below which are minimal returns or undesirable effects.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Introduction
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [1] Grant AM, Schwartz B: Too Much of a Good Thing: The Challenge and Opportunity of the Inverted U. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 61– 76. 26162116 source
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“Long-term meditators have also been found to have poorer sleep than non-meditators, with cortical arousal that is linearly correlated with lifetime meditation practice amount [52].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness meditation practice amount
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [52] Ferrarelli F, Smith R, Dentico D, Riedner BA, Zennig C, Benca RM, Lutz A, Davidson RJ, Tononi G: Experienced mindfulness meditators exhibit higher parietal-occipital EEG gamma activity during NREM sleep. PLoS One 2013, 8: e73417. 24015304 PMC3756031 source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“High levels of a specific MRP may produce negative effects on its own, but can be counterbalanced by supplementing with other MRPs.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness-related processes, non-monotonicity, and influencing factors > Balanced practice:
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Avoidant individuals have been shown to benefit from exposure (attending to threat), while those with bias toward threat benefit most from cognitive bias modification (CBM), or training attention away from threat [41,42].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Exposure and experiential avoidance:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [41] Barry TJ, Vervliet B, Hermans D: An integrative review of attention biases and their contribution to treatment for anxiety disorders. Front Psychol 2015, 6: 968. 26217284 PMC4495309 source
- Not checked yetcites [42] McNally RJ: Attentional bias for threat: Crisis or opportunity? Clin Psychol Rev 2018. 29853421
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Farb et al. [39] hypothesizes that mindfulness training recruits the IPL’s dissociative functions (out-of-body experiences and depersonalization) to create mindfulness’s “detached or objective mode of self-focus” or the ability to switch from a 1st to 3rd person perspective.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Decentering and psychological distance:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [39] Farb NA, Segal ZV, Mayberg H, Bean J, McKeon D, Fatima Z, Anderson AK: Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2007, 2: 313– 322. 18985137 PMC2566754 source
hedgeddirect- Asserted: fails — The authors may not put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true.
In the paper
“For example, re-appraising or accepting a situation can ease distress when there are no other options, but failing to take corrective action in a situation one could have changed can cause depression [47].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Acceptance and reappraisal:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [47] Troy AS, Shallcross AJ, Mauss IB: A person-by-situation approach to emotion regulation: cognitive reappraisal can either help or hurt, depending on the context. Psychol Sci 2013, 24: 2505– 2514. 24145331 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“However, anxiety and other disorders can be caused and maintained not only by attentional bias away from (avoidance of) threat, but also by attentional bias toward threat [41,42].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Exposure and experiential avoidance:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [41] Barry TJ, Vervliet B, Hermans D: An integrative review of attention biases and their contribution to treatment for anxiety disorders. Front Psychol 2015, 6: 968. 26217284 PMC4495309 source
- Not checked yetcites [42] McNally RJ: Attentional bias for threat: Crisis or opportunity? Clin Psychol Rev 2018. 29853421
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Drawing from empirical evidence that many disorders are caused and maintained by high levels of experiential avoidance, exposure theory predicts and has verified that those who benefit the most reduce high levels of experiential avoidance by deliberately attending to threat [41].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Exposure and experiential avoidance:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [41] Barry TJ, Vervliet B, Hermans D: An integrative review of attention biases and their contribution to treatment for anxiety disorders. Front Psychol 2015, 6: 968. 26217284 PMC4495309 source
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“While present-moment awareness may constitute the “what” of mindfulness, mindfulness qualities constitute the “how” [16] by balancing that awareness with qualities of nonjudgment, acceptance, curiosity, open-mindedness, optimism, self-efficacy, courage, trust, patience, persistence, kindness, empathy, generosity, gratitude, social intelligence, freedom, autonomy and choice.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness qualities
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [16] Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Walsh EC, Charnigo RJ Jr., Lynam DR, Baer RA: The “what” and the “how” of dispositional mindfulness: using interactions among subscales of the five-facet mindfulness questionnaire to understand its relation to substance use. Assessment 2012, 19: 276– 286. 22589412 PMC3715554 source
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Mindfulness qualities are attitudinal factors that are considered an essential foundation for mindfulness practice [31].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness qualities
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [31] Kabat-Zinn J: Full catastrophe living Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness: Delta; 1990.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“An essential part of mindful emotion regulation is decentering—the ability to “step back” or to have psychological distance from instead of fusion with one’s experience, especially one’s thought and emotions [13,37].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Decentering and psychological distance:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [13] Holzel BK, Lazar SW, Gard T, Schuman-Olivier Z, Vago DR, Ott U: How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 537– 559. 26168376 source
- Not checked yetcites [37] Crane RS, Brewer J, Feldman C, Kabat-Zinn J, Santorelli S, Williams JM, Kuyken W: What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft. Psychol Med 2017, 47: 990– 999. 28031068 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Low practice amounts in MBCT participants increased sleep duration, but as practice amount approached 30 minutes per day, sleep duration and depth began to decrease and cortical arousal (awakenings and microarousals) began to increase.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness meditation practice amount
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [50] Britton WB, Lindahl JR, Cahn BR, Davis JH, Goldman RE: Awakening is not a metaphor: the effects of Buddhist meditation practices on basic wakefulness. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2014, 1307: 64– 81. 24372471 PMC4054695 source
- Not checked yetcites [51] Britton WB, Haynes PL, Fridel KW, Bootzin RR: Polysomnographic and subjective profiles of sleep continuity before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in partially remitted depression. Psychosom Med 2010, 72: 539– 548. 20467003 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“While it’s hard to imagine ever having too much of any of these qualities, Grant and Schwartz [1] demonstrate that all of these usually beneficial qualities are non-monotonic, or can have undesirable costs in certain situations, for certain people or when taken too far.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness qualities
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [1] Grant AM, Schwartz B: Too Much of a Good Thing: The Challenge and Opportunity of the Inverted U. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 61– 76. 26162116 source
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The non-monotonicity model also predicts that both positive and negative effects will be more likely to occur in practitioners with particular baseline conditions: Positive effects would be most likely to occur in those with low levels (deficits) in MRPs, while negative effects would be most likely to occur in those with high baseline levels of MRPs.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness-related processes, non-monotonicity, and influencing factors > Baseline Characteristics:
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“By intentionally and consistently using an “approach orientation” [37], “turning towards the difficult,” and experiencing one’s negative emotions fully, mindfulness is thought to exert transdiagnostic benefits by “facilitating extinction of distress in response to strong emotions, leading to reduced emotional avoidance and, consequently, disorder symptoms” [40].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Exposure and experiential avoidance:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [40] Brake CA, Sauer-Zavala S, Boswell JF, Gallagher MW, Farchione TJ, Barlow DH: Mindfulness-Based Exposure Strategies as a Transdiagnostic Mechanism of Change: An Exploratory Alternating Treatment Design. Behav Ther 2016, 47: 225– 238. 26956654 PMC8177505 source
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This model would predict that negative effects could occur with correct practice, and would be more likely at higher doses of practice or MRP.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindfulness-related processes, non-monotonicity, and influencing factors > Dose:
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Mindfulness training has been found to increase prefrontal control over the limbic system and amygdala, which is associated with improved emotion regulation, anxiety, depression and emotional reactivity [22,32].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Emotion regulation and prefrontal control:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [22] Gotink RA, Meijboom R, Vernooij MW, Smits M, Hunink MG: 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction induces brain changes similar to traditional long-term meditation practice -A systematic review. Brain Cogn 2016, 108: 32– 41. 27429096 source
- Not checked yetcites [32] Tang YY, Holzel BK, Posner MI: The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nat Rev Neurosci 2015, 16: 213– 225. 25783612 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Mindful emotion regulation seeks to increase adaptive approach-related strategies like acceptance and reappraisal, and seeks to decrease maladaptive, avoidant strategies like distraction and suppression [13,37].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Acceptance and reappraisal:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [13] Holzel BK, Lazar SW, Gard T, Schuman-Olivier Z, Vago DR, Ott U: How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011, 6: 537– 559. 26168376 source
- Not checked yetcites [37] Crane RS, Brewer J, Feldman C, Kabat-Zinn J, Santorelli S, Williams JM, Kuyken W: What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft. Psychol Med 2017, 47: 990– 999. 28031068 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Thus, the benefits and/or harms of exposure depend on the initial baseline level of the targeted problem (bias toward or away from threat), and can become either ineffective or iatrogenic when applied to people with levels different than the targeted one [29].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Exposure and experiential avoidance:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [29] Treleaven DA: Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for safe and transformative healing New York: Norton; 2018.
plainconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“However, treating any one strategy as either consistently adaptive or maladaptive has been called “the fallacy of uniform efficacy” [45].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Acceptance and reappraisal:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [45] Bonanno GA, Burton CL: Regulatory Flexibility: An Individual Differences Perspective on Coping and Emotion Regulation. Perspect Psychol Sci 2013, 8: 591– 612. 26173226 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Depending on the context and the person, favored strategies like acceptance and reappraisal may be superior, inferior, or equal to disfavored strategies like suppression and distraction [46] and are sometimes associated with adverse effects [47,48].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Mindful emotion regulation > Acceptance and reappraisal:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [46] Kohl A, Rief W, Glombiewski JA: How effective are acceptance strategies? A meta-analytic review of experimental results. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2012, 43: 988– 1001. 22561050 source
- Not checked yetcites [47] Troy AS, Shallcross AJ, Mauss IB: A person-by-situation approach to emotion regulation: cognitive reappraisal can either help or hurt, depending on the context. Psychol Sci 2013, 24: 2505– 2514. 24145331 source
- Not checked yetcites [48] Dunn BD, Billotti D, Murphy V, Dalgleish T: The consequences of effortful emotion regulation when processing distressing material: a comparison of suppression and acceptance. Behav Res Ther 2009, 47: 761– 773. 19559401 PMC2764381 source
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Most MBI studies use data only from the treatment completers and lack data from long-term follow-ups and dropouts—the groups most likely to have negative effects [56,60].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Non-monotonic research agenda: > Range restriction:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [56] Coronado-Montoya S, Levis AW, Kwakkenbos L, Steele RJ, Turner EH, Thombs BD: Reporting of Positive Results in Randomized Controlled Trials of Mindfulness-Based Mental Health Interventions. PLoS One 2016, 11: e0153220. 27058355 PMC4825994 This review of mindfulness-based intervention RCTs found that nearly 90% of the trials reviewed reported positive results in favor of mindfulness, which the authors concluded is suggestive of reporting bias. Only 25% of studies that found negative results reported them in a straightforward way. Instead, 75% of studies “spun” negative findings to appear equivoc source
- Not checked yetcites [60] Ioannidis JP, Evans SJ, Gotzsche PC, O’Neill RT, Altman DG, Schulz K, Moher D: Better reporting of harms in randomized trials: an extension of the CONSORT statement. Ann Intern Med 2004, 141: 781– 788. 15545678 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“In addition, very few MBI trials actively measure adverse effects [58], relying instead on passive monitoring, which can underestimate the actual frequency by more than 20-fold [59,60].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Non-monotonic research agenda: > Positivity bias:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [58] Wong S, Chan J, Zhang D, Lee E, Tsoi K: The Safety of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: a Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Mindfulness 2018. In a review of 231 RCTs of mindfulness-based interventions (MBSR or MBCT), the vast majority (84.4%) did not contain any information about measuring or monitoring adverse effects. In the remaining 15.6%, fewer adverse effects in the MBI arm were more likely to be reported when MBIs failed to outperformed controls, or when authors reported conflicts of interest. Current MBI trial harms reporting is not adequate to produce an accurate estim source
- Not checked yetcites [59] Bent S, Padula A, Avins AL: Brief communication: Better ways to question patients about adverse medical events: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2006, 144: 257– 261. 16490911 source
- Not checked yetcites [60] Ioannidis JP, Evans SJ, Gotzsche PC, O’Neill RT, Altman DG, Schulz K, Moher D: Better reporting of harms in randomized trials: an extension of the CONSORT statement. Ann Intern Med 2004, 141: 781– 788. 15545678 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Mindfulness researchers and program developers have recognized that reversal of deficiencies in MRPs enhance wellbeing, but have paid less attention to how excesses in these processes could also undermine wellbeing.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Conclusion
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The framework values null and negative effects because they signify boundary condition violations or inflection points. These are important because they provide otherwise unavailable information about optimal versus ineffective or harmful doses of MRPs under different conditions or for different people.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Non-monotonic research agenda:
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Mindfulness studies tend to over-represent positive results, while negative findings are either not published or obscured by post-hoc subgroup analyses or creative reinterpretations [55–57].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Non-monotonic research agenda: > Positivity bias:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [55] Dimidjian S, Segal ZV: Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. Am Psychol 2015, 70: 593– 620. 26436311 PMC5853107 source
- Not checked yetcites [56] Coronado-Montoya S, Levis AW, Kwakkenbos L, Steele RJ, Turner EH, Thombs BD: Reporting of Positive Results in Randomized Controlled Trials of Mindfulness-Based Mental Health Interventions. PLoS One 2016, 11: e0153220. 27058355 PMC4825994 This review of mindfulness-based intervention RCTs found that nearly 90% of the trials reviewed reported positive results in favor of mindfulness, which the authors concluded is suggestive of reporting bias. Only 25% of studies that found negative results reported them in a straightforward way. Instead, 75% of studies “spun” negative findings to appear equivoc source
- Not checked yetcites [57] Morone NE, Moore CG, Greco CM: Characteristics of Adults Who Used Mindfulness Meditation: United States, 2012. J Altern Complement Med 2017, 23: 545– 550. 28084788 Querying more than 100,000 adults as part of the 2012 U.S. National Health survey, this study represents the largest cross-sectional study to date that compares mindfulness meditators to non-meditators. The study found that mindfulness meditators had worse physical and mental health than non-meditators, including higher levels of pain, headaches, stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia and acute illness. Although cross-sectional studi source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Expert meditators with mental health issues are typically excluded from research, resulting in a selective representation of the effects from long-term practice [52].”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Non-monotonic research agenda: > Range restriction:
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [52] Ferrarelli F, Smith R, Dentico D, Riedner BA, Zennig C, Benca RM, Lutz A, Davidson RJ, Tononi G: Experienced mindfulness meditators exhibit higher parietal-occipital EEG gamma activity during NREM sleep. PLoS One 2013, 8: e73417. 24015304 PMC3756031 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Because it is measuring mindfulness in the deficiency-reversal phase (Figure 1, Panel 1), but not in the excess phase of the inverted U-shaped curve, it is more likely to be highly and linearly associated with gains in wellbeing or functioning and show few negative effects.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Non-monotonic research agenda: > Range restriction:
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A non-monotonic framework will help to maximize effectiveness and minimize harms in mindfulness-based applications by providing a model that can chart a “middle way” between “not enough” and “too much of a good thing.””
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Conclusion
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In other words, the field of mindfulness has been primarily focused on the upward slope of the inverted U-shaped curve, with insufficient attention to the downward slope of the curve.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Conclusion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A mindfulness research agenda that employs a non-monotonic framework—one that includes the entirety of the inverted U-shaped curve—may be better positioned to make sense of positive, null, and contradictory findings, differential outcomes for different subgroups, and negative effects.”
§ Can Mindfulness Be Too Much of a Good Thing? The Value of a Middle Way > Conclusion
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper relies on this without support.
Mindfulness-related programs and products are popular and rapidly proliferating.
“Given the popularity and rapid proliferation of mindfulness-related programs and products, the investigation of optimal levels of mindfulness— which also entails identifying its boundary conditions and negative effects—would benefit not only the end-users, but also researchers, program developers and providers.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Negative effects observed in meditation studies are caused by the mindfulness-related processes themselves rather than by confounding factors.
“and all of these effects have been reported in the context of mindfulness meditation training [7,9,11,12,28,29].”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“As with hyperarousal, two primary pathways have been proposed: 1) depersonalization through the cultivation of a detached self-perspective (e.g., decentering) within meditation practice and 2) emotional blunting through excessive prefrontal control of the limbic system within meditation practice.”
From Childhood trauma and subclinical PTSD symptoms predict adverse effects and worse outcomes across two mindfulness-based programs for active depression (2025) · cites this paper as Britton [57]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“In the second pathway, the body awareness component of meditation could lead to an amplification of affective states and emotional arousal that is mediated by body awareness and activation of the insular cortex [54, 56, 57].”
From Childhood trauma and subclinical PTSD symptoms predict adverse effects and worse outcomes across two mindfulness-based programs for active depression (2025) · cites this paper as [57]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Though both of these well-documented processes are typically framed as leading to beneficial effects, overtraining may lead to dissociation in some people [57].”
From Childhood trauma and subclinical PTSD symptoms predict adverse effects and worse outcomes across two mindfulness-based programs for active depression (2025) · cites this paper as [57]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“As with hyperarousal, two primary pathways have been proposed: 1) depersonalization through the cultivation of a detached self-perspective (e.g., decentering) within meditation practice and 2) emotional blunting through excessive prefrontal control of the limbic system within meditation practice.”
From Childhood trauma and subclinical PTSD symptoms predict adverse effects and worse outcomes across two mindfulness-based programs for active depression (2025) · cites this paper as Britton [57]
In the citing paper
“Additionally, participants could adjust the amount of home practice they completed, following the ascending practice dose ladder until they located the ideal amount of practice time that worked for them specifically (‘the sweet spot’) (Britton, 2019).”
From Feasibility and acceptability of mindful recovery opioid use care continuum (M-ROCC): A concurrent mixed methods study (2021) · cites this paper as Britton, 2019
Citations
Cites
The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822 · Cited by 13,448 · cited 2×
“Rather, it is a broader model and potential explanatory framework for mindfulness research, which encompasses positive [4], mixed, null, and contradictory findings [5 ], differential and sometimes negative outcomes for some subgroups [6 ,7 ,8], and undesirable or adverse effects [9 ,10,11,12 ].”
(2008) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 7,477
The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit formation
Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908) · Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology · doi:10.1002/cne.920180503 · Cited by 6,911
How do you feel — now? The anterior insula and human awareness
(Bud) Craig, A. D. (2009) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2555 · Cited by 6,657
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Siegel, L. J., & Fletcher‐Janzen, E. (2014) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118660584.ese0728 · Cited by 3,438
Etkin, A., & Wager, T. D. (2007) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07030504 · Cited by 3,391
Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change
Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111 · Cited by 3,203 · cited 1×
“Similar findings have been found for gratitude practice, where less practice (once per week) was more effective for promoting wellbeing than more practice (three times per week) [53].”
Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691611419671 · Cited by 3,024 · cited 4×
“Acceptance and reappraisal Mindful emotion regulation seeks to increase adaptive approach-related strategies like acceptance and reappraisal, and seeks to decrease maladaptive, avoidant strategies like distraction and suppression [13,37].”
InfluentialThe Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
Tang, Y.-Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3916 · Cited by 2,889 · cited 1×
“Emotion regulation and prefrontal control Mindfulness training has been found to increase prefrontal control over the limbic system and amygdala, which is associated with improved emotion regulation, anxiety, depression, and emotional reactivity [22,32].”
Regulatory Flexibility: An Individual Differences Perspective on Coping and Emotion Regulation
Bonanno, G. A., & Burton, C. L. (2013) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691613504116 · Cited by 1,676 · cited 1×
“However, treating any one strategy as either consistently adaptive or maladaptive has been called ‘the fallacy of uniform efficacy’ [45].”
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Lomas, 2014, A qualitative summary of experiential challenges associated with meditation practice, Mindfulness, 1
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review
Zhang, D., Lee, E. K. P., Mak, E. C. W., Ho, C. Y., & Wong, S. Y. S. (2021) · British Medical Bulletin · doi:10.1093/bmb/ldab005 · Cited by 668
Mindfulness and Behavior Change
Schuman-Olivier, Z., Trombka, M., Lovas, D. A., Brewer, J. A., Vago, D. R., Gawande, R., Dunne, J. P., Lazar, S. W., Loucks, E. B., & Fulwiler, C. (2020) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/hrp.0000000000000277 · Cited by 435
Defining and Measuring Meditation-Related Adverse Effects in Mindfulness-Based Programs
Britton, W. B., Lindahl, J. R., Cooper, D. J., Canby, N. K., & Palitsky, R. (2021) · Clinical Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/2167702621996340 · Cited by 278
“These results parallel findings from the VCE study, where greater attenuations in senses of self, although not always unpleasant, were associated with a greater impairment in functioning (Lindahl & Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundResultSelf-citationAdverse events in meditation practices and meditation‐based therapies: a systematic review
Farias, M., Maraldi, E., Wallenkampf, K. C., & Lucchetti, G. (2020) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/acps.13225 · Cited by 262
“Other explanations put forth in the medical and psychological literature include the intensity of meditation practice (19, 115), the competence of the teacher and participant vulnerabilities, although the latter have sometimes been found to enhance the positive effects of meditation – such as for recurrently depressed…”
BackgroundFrom many to (n)one: Meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind
Laukkonen, R. E., & Slagter, H. A. (2021) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.021 · Cited by 187
Prevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United States
Goldberg, S. B., Lam, S. U., Britton, W. B., & Davidson, R. J. (2022) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503307.2021.1933646 · Cited by 115
Self-citationCoping With COVID-19: Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Mitigating Mental Health Crisis
Antonova, E., Schlosser, K., Pandey, R., & Kumari, V. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.563417 · Cited by 89
“As many other phenomena, mindfulness practice appears to follow a non-monotonic or invertedU-shaped trajectory where positive effects at lower to moderate “doses” might turn negative at higher “doses” (87).”
BackgroundLosing Ourselves: Active Inference, Depersonalization, and Meditation
Deane, G., Miller, M., & Wilkinson, S. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.539726 · Cited by 87
“And yet, there is something important to be said here about the potential focused attention meditation has to 8See Lindahl and Britton (2019) for reasons why that might be challenging.”
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“There have been negative effects observed in therapy and mindfulnessbased training (Cuijpers et al., 2018; Britton, 2019; Curran et al., 2019).”
BackgroundA Framework for the Empirical Investigation of Mindfulness Meditative Development
Galante, J., Grabovac, A. D., Wright, M., Ingram, D. M., Dam, N. T. V., Sanguinetti, J. L., Sparby, T., van Lutterveld, R., & Sacchet, M. D. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02113-8 · Cited by 92
“For example, decentring, the ability to establish a psychological distance with one’s thoughts and emotions, could be concep-tualised as following an inverted U-shaped trajectory (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundBritton, W. B., Desbordes, G., Acabchuk, R. L., Peters, S., Lindahl, J. R., Canby, N. K., Vago, D. R., Dumais, T., Lipsky, J., Kimmel, H. J., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.730972 · Cited by 82
“…both theoretical models and empirical research, as certain directions of change in specific SRPs have better evidence for target engagement and target validation than others, and researchers should not expect that a global attenuation of SRPs will be optimal in all circumstances (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationA balanced view of mindfulness at work
Choi, E., Gruman, J. A., & Leonard, C. (2021) · Organizational Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/20413866211036930 · Cited by 80
“Research is needed that explicitly examines how mindfulness in organizations may sometimes be “too much of a good thing,” addressing the criticism that more mindfulness is always better (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundInfluential'I Have This Feeling of Not Really Being Here': Buddhist Meditation and Changes in Sense of Self
Lindahl, J. R., & Britton, W. B. (2019) · Cited by 71
Self-citationGallagher, S. (2023) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.001.0001 · Cited by 72
Effectiveness of Mantra-Based Meditation on Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Álvarez‐Pérez, Y., Rivero‐Santana, A., Perestelo‐Pérez, L., Duarte‐Díaz, A., Ramos‐García, V., Toledo‐Chávarri, A., Torres‐Castaño, A., León‐Salas, B., Infante‐Ventura, D., González, N., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19063380 · Cited by 72
Prevalence of harm in mindfulness-based stress reduction
Hirshberg, M. J., Goldberg, S. B., Rosenkranz, M., & Davidson, R. J. (2022) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291720002834 · Cited by 62
Roca, P., Vazquez, C., Diez, G., Brito-Pons, G., & McNally, R. J. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.070 · Cited by 63
A meta-analysis of the intervention effect of mindfulness training on athletes’ performance
Wei, X., Yang, Z. K., & Feng, X. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1375608 · Cited by 80
A Retrospective Systematic Review of Diversity Variables in Mindfulness Research, 2000–2016
Eichel, K., Gawande, R., Acabchuk, R. L., Palitsky, R., Chau, S., Pham, A., Cheaito, A., Yam, D., Lipsky, J., Dumais, T., et al. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01715-4 · Cited by 61
“It is also crucial not to assume that currently standard conceptions of MBPs are universally good for everyone (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundSelf-citationKeng, S., Chin, J. W. E., Mammadova, M., & Teo, I. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01975-8 · Cited by 58
“Considering recent research highlighting potential adverse effects 1 3 associated with mindfulness practice (Britton, 2019), the phone coaching call was conducted to address any questions or challenges that might arise during participants’ engagement with mindfulness practice.”
BackgroundPascoe, M. C., de Manincor, M., Hallgren, M. Å., Baldwin, P. A., Tseberja, J., & Parker, A. G. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01736-z · Cited by 62
“…many positive psychological outcomes, high levels of self-focused attention have also been found to be associated with psychopathology and negative affect (Ingram, 1990; Mor & Winquist, 2002) (for an in-depth review of some of the more negative effects of too much mindfulness, see Britton (2019)).”
BackgroundDevelopment and Validation of the Four Facet Mindful Eating Scale (FFaMES)
Carrière, K., Shireen, S. H., Siemers, N., Preißner, C. E., Starr, J., Falk, C., & Knäuper, B. (2022) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2021.105689 · Cited by 47
Levit‐Binnun, N., Arbel, K., & Dorjee, D. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727857 · Cited by 57
“This precludes the ability to reach clear conclusions regarding the effects and underlying mechanisms of different mindfulness practices, their interactions and long-term effects (Farias et al., 2016; Schumer et al., 2018; Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundCullen, B., Eichel, K., Lindahl, J. R., Rahrig, H., Kini, N., Flahive, J., & Britton, W. B. (2021) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0244838 · Cited by 43
“In line with mechanism-focused experimental medicine [49,51], both approaches predict that treatments will be maximally beneficial when they reverse baseline pathology or deficits and will be ineffective or contraindicated if baseline pathology is exacerbated or a new imbalance is created.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationBrown, K. W., Berry, D. R., Eichel, K., Михайловна, Б. П., Rahrig, H., & Britton, W. B. (2022) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.14024 · Cited by 51
Self-citationFirst, do no harm: An intensive experience sampling study of adverse effects to mindfulness training
Aizik-Reebs, A., Shoham, A., & Bernstein, A. (2021) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2021.103941 · Cited by 54
Zhou, D., Kang, Y., Cosme, D., Jovanova, M., He, X., Mahadevan, A. S., Ahn, J., Stanoi, O. A., Brynildsen, J. K., Cooper, N., et al. (2023) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2201074119 · Cited by 44
The Insight Knowledge of Fear and Adverse Effects of Mindfulness Practices
Anālayo, B. (2019) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-019-01198-4 · Cited by 35
“The effects of mindfulnessrelated practices are clearly not invariably beneficial (Britton 2019; Lindahl et al. 2017).”
BackgroundYang, W., & Xu, S. T. (2023) · Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research · doi:10.1177/10963480231156832 · Cited by 36
“…social information processing theory (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978), conscious information processing may lead to unwanted effects, such as lowering task performance quantity and undermining well-being when they encounter unpleasant situations (Britton, 2019; Cebolla et al., 2017; Wihler et al., 2022).”
BackgroundDourron, H. M., Strauss, C. K., & Hendricks, P. S. (2022) · Pharmacological Reviews · doi:10.1124/pharmrev.121.000514 · Cited by 35
“As with many potentially beneficial activities, such as mediation (Lindahl et al., 2017; Britton, 2019), and positive traits, such as conscientiousness (Carter et al.”
BackgroundLönnberg, G., Jonas, W., Bränström, R., Nissen, E., & Niemi, M. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01403-9 · Cited by 38
“Furthermore, given that there are risks for undesirable effects from MBIs for certain individuals, under certain conditions (Britton 2019), a critical question is what characterizes mothers who can benefit from MBCP, as well as mothers who would have more advantage from other kinds of support.”
BackgroundThe effect of ten versus twenty minutes of mindfulness meditation on state mindfulness and affect
Palmer, R. L., Roos, C. R., Vafaie, N., & Hedy Kober, A. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-46578-y · Cited by 40
“It is also possible that the dose–response relationship for MBIs follow an inverted U-shaped curve 38 .”
BackgroundKüchler, A., Kählke, F., Vollbrecht, D., Peip, K., Ebert, D. D., & Baumeister, H. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01949-w · Cited by 35
“Although evidence points to the potential of mindfulness interventions for mental health promotion, researchers call for a better understanding of differential effects, adverse effects, and optimal dosage of such interventions (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundHitchcock, P. F., Britton, W. B., Mehta, K. P., & Frank, M. J. (2022) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-022-01033-9 · Cited by 30
“…for meditators versus nonmediators, and mentally healthy versus unhealthy individuals (Aguado et al., 2015; Baer et al., 2006, 2008; Baer, 2019; Britton, 2019; Curtiss & Klemanski, 2014; Gu et al., 2016; Lecuona et al., 2020; Thompson et al., 2022; see also Choi et al., 2021; Hitch-cock et…”
InfluentialSelf-citationPattern Theory of Selflessness: How Meditation May Transform the Self-Pattern
Berkovich‐Ohana, A., Brown, K. W., Gallagher, S., Barendregt, H. P., Bauer, P. R., Giommi, F., Nyklíček, I., Ostafin, B. D., Raffone, A., Slagter, H. A., et al. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-024-02418-2 · Cited by 37
“It should also be noted that whether selfless states are beneficial or not has long been, and still is, a topic of active debate within Buddhism (Thompson, 2020), as well as within contemporary science (Britton, 2019; Sass, 2013).”
InfluentialDaily mindfulness training reduces negative impact of COVID-19 news exposure on affective well-being
Kam, J. W. Y., Javed, J., Hart, C. M., Andrews‐Hanna, J. R., Tomfohr‐Madsen, L. M., & Mills, C. (2021) · Psychological Research · doi:10.1007/s00426-021-01550-1 · Cited by 28
“Notably, while ample studies support the positive impact of mindfulness training, some caution that mindfulness-based intervention as with any other intervention is not universally beneficial (Britton, 2019; Grant & Schwartz, 2011).”
BackgroundRamstetter, L., Rupprecht, S., Luis Mundaca, T., Osika, W., Stenfors, C. U. D., Klackl, J., & Christine Wamsler, B. (2023) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106191 · Cited by 34
“At the same time, this finding might also reflect the non-monotonicity of mindfulness practice, suggesting a decrease in non-judgment once a turning point has been passed.(92)”
ResultA Novel Framework for Inner-Outer Sustainability Assessment
Cooper, K. J., & Gibson, R. B. (2022) · Challenges · doi:10.3390/challe13020064 · Cited by 26
Rogge, R. D., Lin, Y.-Y., Swanson, D. P., & Amaro, A. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01886-8 · Cited by 25
“Extending this caution, a recent review (Britton, 2019) highlighted the possibility that the links between forms of mindfulness and well-being might be more complicated than a simple linear (i.e., monotonically increasing) relationship in which greater mindfulness is always more adaptive.”
The search for scientific meaning in mindfulness research: Insights from a scoping review
Phan-Le, N. T., Brennan, L. L., & Parker, L. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0264924 · Cited by 31
Félix-Junior, I. J., Donate, A. P. G., Noto, A. R., Galduróz, J. C. F., Simionato, N. M., & Opaleye, E. S. (2022) · Addictive Behaviors Reports · doi:10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100467 · Cited by 23
“Consequently, this would be no different in the study of MBIs (Britton, 2019; Dimidjian & Segal, 2015; Howard, 2016).”
BackgroundMacdonald, J., & Muran, C. J. (2021) · Journal of Psychotherapy Integration · doi:10.1037/int0000200 · Cited by 23
Strohmaier, S., Jones, F. W., & Cane, J. E. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01780-9 · Cited by 25
Loy, L. S., Clemens, A., & Reese, G. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01823-1 · Cited by 27
“For instance, MBPs might initially boost the ego but then quiet it over time, or vice versa; alternatively, their effects might vary depending on the dosage (see Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundValero‐Mora, P., Bertolín, A. M.-B., & Sánchez‐García, M. (2021) · Transportation Research Part F Traffic Psychology and Behaviour · doi:10.1016/j.trf.2021.09.006 · Cited by 21
Oberleiter, S., Wainig, H., Voracek, M., & Tran, U. S. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01968-7 · Cited by 25
“For example, there is a decrease of sleep duration and depth as well as an increase in cortisol arousal in correlation with a higher amount of practice time (> 30 min per day; Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundMindfulness and emotion: a five-level analysis
Ashkanasy, N. M., & Kay, A. A. (2023) · Journal of Management & Organization · doi:10.1017/jmo.2023.22 · Cited by 21
“In this regard, Britton (2019: 159) asked, ‘ [c]an mindfulness be too much of a good thing?”
BackgroundWang, T., Tang, C., Jiang, X., Guo, Y., Zhu, S., & Xu, Q. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/47704 · Cited by 20
“The improved PTG observed in this study may be explained by the systematic training in moment-by-moment awareness, and MBIs focus on viewing thoughts and feelings as mental events [63].”
Jiwani, Z., Lam, S. U., Davidson, R. J., & Goldberg, S. B. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01985-6 · Cited by 25
“Additionally, it is important to acknowledge that greater meditation practice is not necessarily helpful and may, at times, lead to adverse effects (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundCearns, M., & Clark, S. R. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/43358 · Cited by 21
“Moreover, hyperactivation of the insular cortex, a component of the default mode network, has been linked to greater depressive rumination [11] and increased self-focus [54] and sadness [14].”
InfluentialMindfulness in education: Critical debates and pragmatic considerations
Lee, W. W. K., McCaw, C. T., & Dam, N. T. V. (2024) · British Educational Research Journal · doi:10.1002/berj.3998 · Cited by 27
Canby, N. K., Cosby, E. A., Palitsky, R., Kaplan, D. M., Lee, J., Mahdavi, G., Lopez, A. A., Goldman, R. E., Eichel, K., Lindahl, J. R., et al. (2025) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0318499 · Cited by 17
Self-citationLönnberg, G., Niemi, M., Salomonsson, B., Bränström, R., Nissen, E., & Jonas, W. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01658-w · Cited by 18
“Furthermore, mindfulness-based interventions do not suit everybody, and unpleasant experiences related to meditation have been reported (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundBayuk, J. B., Lee, K., Park, J., Saka, S., Talukdar, D., & Sinha, J. (2022) · Journal of Consumer Affairs · doi:10.1111/joca.12474 · Cited by 15
Zhang, H., Ayub, A., & Iqbal, S. (2023) · Business Process Management Journal · doi:10.1108/bpmj-02-2023-0072 · Cited by 19
Mehling, W. E., Strigo, I. A., Goldman, V. M., Hartogensis, W., Adler, S. R., Lotz, J. C., & Hecht, F. M. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0307690 · Cited by 18
Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) modulates brain-heart connection: An EEG case study
Wong, G. F., Sun, R., Adler, J., Yeung, K. W., Yu, S., & Gao, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2022.891377 · Cited by 15
“Moreover, there could be a non-linear trajectory between brain activity and behavioral assessment (Shaw and Routray, 2016, 2018; Gupta et al., 2018; Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundFatkin, T., Moore, S. K., Okst, K., Creedon, T. B., Samawi, F., Fredericksen, A. K., Roll, D., Oxnard, A., Lê Cook, B., & Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2021) · Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment · doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108415 · Cited by 14
The role of interoception in lifestyle factors: A systematic review
Mulder, J., Boelens, M., van der Velde, L. A., Brust, M., & Jong, J. C. K. (2025) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106018 · Cited by 14
Bowles, N. I., Davies, J. N., Strohmaier, S., Galante, J., & Van Dam, N. T. (2026) · Journal of Contemplative Studies · doi:10.57010/caxs3076 · Cited by 14
Gentile, C., Starnino, L., Dupuis, G., & D’Antono, B. (2021) · Clinical Gerontologist · doi:10.1080/07317115.2021.1887421 · Cited by 14
“This is consistent with some emerging literature examining the potential adverse effects of mindfulness, including possible increases in depressive and anxious states in some individuals (Britton, 2019).”
ResultGalante, J., Montero-Marín, J., Vainre, M., Dufour, G., García-Campayo, J., & Jones, P. B. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0305928 · Cited by 13
“Disturbances in the sense of self such as disembodiment can be associated with psychopathology, for example dissociation and depersonalisation [67].”
Kock, M., Kuppens, P., Van der Gucht, K., & Raes, F. (2021) · Psychologica Belgica · doi:10.5334/pb.1093 · Cited by 13
Mindfulness or expectancy? The label of mindfulness leads to expectancy effects
Ghanbari Noshari, M., Kempton, H. M., & Kreplin, U. (2023) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12589 · Cited by 16
Mindfulness Training for Young Neurosurgeons: A Virtual Multicenter Prospective Pilot Study
Pandit, A. S., Reka, A., Layard Horsfall, H., & Marcus, H. J. (2022) · World Neurosurgery · doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2022.04.128 · Cited by 14
Alaydi, B. I., & Ng, S. I. (2024) · Safety · doi:10.3390/safety10010020 · Cited by 29
Primdahl, N. L. (2021) · Oxford Review of Education · doi:10.1080/03054985.2021.1933407 · Cited by 13
LaMontagne, L. G., Doty, J. L., Diehl, D. C., Nesbit, T. S., Gage, N. A., Kumbkarni, N., & Leon, S. P. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.014 · Cited by 13
Vergara, R. C., Baquedano, C., Lorca‐Ponce, E., Steinebach, C., & Langer, A. I. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.934614 · Cited by 14
Making Mindfulness Meditation a Healthy Habit
Miles, E., Matcham, F., Strauss, C., & Cavanagh, K. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02258-6 · Cited by 21
“Evidence to support a direct dose-response relationship is mixed, there is scarce evidence available for the specific effects of long-term practice (Galante et al., 2023), and non-monotonic relationship has been hypothesized (Britton, 2019).”
Dsouza, M. P., Shetty, A., Dinesh, T. K., & Damodar, P. (2023) · IIMBG Journal of Sustainable Business and Innovation · doi:10.1108/ijsbi-06-2023-0037 · Cited by 16
Pang, Y., Tse, B., Liu, W., & Yang, Q. (2024) · Cognitive Processing · doi:10.1007/s10339-024-01246-5 · Cited by 13
“…of emotional and interoceptive awareness played in the negative relationship between mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal can be achieved by either regulating attention to internal body signal directly (Matthias et al. 2009), or by integrating body signal with emotions indirectly (Britton 2019).”
Štánerová, E., Zelenayová, V., & Rajčáni, J. (2025) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112312 · Cited by 21
ter Avest, M. J., Dusseldorp, E., Huijbers, M. J., van Aalderen, J. R., Cladder-Micus, M. B., Spinhoven, P., Greven, C. U., & Speckens, A. E. M. (2019) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2019.103467 · Cited by 16
Pilot Study of Compassion Meditation Training to Improve Well-being Among Older Adults
Malaktaris, A. L., Lang, A. J., Casmar, P. V., Baca, S. A., Hurst, S., Jeste, D. V., & Palmer, B. W. (2020) · Clinical Gerontologist · doi:10.1080/07317115.2020.1839826 · Cited by 14
“…to the mean,” there have also been suggestions that for some individuals meditation may initially affect such measures in the negative direction due to increase in awareness/attunement as well as reduction in efforts to suppress or deny unpleasant feelings (Britton, 2019; Lang et al., 2017).”
BackgroundNavigating the 'Zen Zeitgeist': The Potential of Personalized Neurofeedback for MeditationPreprint
Brandmeyer, T., Simmons, R., & Reggente, N. (2023) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/x23me · Cited by 12
Fostering Career Self-Efficacy via Mindfulness and Life Coaching
Donald, W. E., & Manville, G. (2023) · Advances in higher education and professional development book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-6684-7442-6.ch023 · Cited by 10
Khoury, B. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02226-0 · Cited by 9
“In addition, some authors suggest multiple processes involved in being mindful, such as acceptance, detachment or decentering, and exposure (Britton, 2019; Hayes & Wilson, 2003).”
BackgroundStichter, M., & Fridland, E. (2025) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009307857 · Cited by 10
Piasecki, P. A., Minkler, T. O., McGehee, C., & Filho, E. (2025) · International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1750984x.2025.2481562 · Cited by 8
“The outcome-oriented view of mindfulness as a blanket approach to well-being associated exclusively with benefits has further been challenged (Britton, 2019), and questions have been raised about competencies associated with teaching mindfulness (Crane et al., 2012) and what constitutes an expert…”
Beyond serenity: Adverse effects of meditation and mindfulness in clinical practice
Matko, K., & Dam, N. T. V. (2025) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102197 · Cited by 12
Serhatoğlu, S., Koydemir, S., & Schütz, A. (2022) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223980.2022.2048777 · Cited by 8
Trait mindfulness and cannabis use–related factors in adolescents and young adults with frequent use
Lin, J., Harris, S. K., & Shrier, L. A. (2021) · Substance Abuse · doi:10.1080/08897077.2021.1901179 · Cited by 8
Li, J., Zhou, L., HEIJDEN, B. I. J. M. V. D., Li, S., Tao, H., & Guo, Z. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.778402 · Cited by 10
“However, previous studies also revealed that mindfulness may have negative effects on one’s mental health (e.g., stress and anxiety) under high levels of awareness and uncontrolled settings (Sahdra et al., 2017; Britton, 2019; Farias et al., 2020; Matta et al., 2022; Xu et al., 2022).”
BackgroundDeane, G., Mago, J., Fotopoulou, A., Sacchet, M. D., Carhart-Harris, R. L., & Sandved-Smith, L. (2024) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/x7aew · Cited by 11
Maynard, M. L., Quenneville, S., Hinves, K., Talwar, V., & Bosacki, S. (2022) · Adolescents · doi:10.3390/adolescents3010003 · Cited by 10
“Adolescents who sustain more neutral affect likely approach environmental stimuli non-judgmentally, with acceptance, and with social understanding [135,137], reflecting foundational qualities of mindfulness [128].”
BackgroundCOVID-19 uncertainties to impulsive buying behavior: the roles of mindfulness and afterlife belief
Nguyen, H. V., Nguyen, A. V., & Dinh, H. L. H. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-05185-w · Cited by 7
“Mindful people seeks to increase adaptive-approach-related strategies (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundHohnemann, C., Engel, F., Peifer, C., & Diestel, S. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1385372 · Cited by 7
“These results are particularly important in light of recent research that revealed potential negative effects of mindfulness and meditation such as increased stress, anxiety, or negative affect under certain circumstances (e.g., Britton, 2019; Farias et al., 2020; Britton et al., 2021).”
ResultMindful Learning: Principles and Prospect of Use in Higher Education
Bordunos, A., Милетич, М., & Volkova, N. (2024) · Psychological Science and Education · doi:10.17759/pse.2024290402 · Cited by 23
Kittler, C., Stenzel, L., Jekauc, D., & Stoll, O. (2021) · Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1123/cssep.2021-0006 · Cited by 7
Brief Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teacher and Course Attendee Perspectives on Content
Birtwell, K., Morris, R., & Armitage, C. J. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01698-2 · Cited by 9
“Further, it has been suggested that mindfulness may be non-monotonic, meaning that positive effects may in certain circumstances, for example too much of a particular type of practice, turn negative (Britton, 2019).”
BackgroundAlruwayti, H., & M., S. M. (2024) · Problems and Perspectives in Management · doi:10.21511/ppm.22(3).2024.04 · Cited by 7
Neylan, T. C., Muratore, L. A., Williams, C. L., Schmitz, M., Valdez, C., Maguen, S., O’Donovan, A., Kelley, D. P., Metzler, T. J., Cohen, B. E., et al. (2025) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-025-06638-1 · Cited by 6
He, Y., Ge, L., Yuan, J., Wang, Y., Zheng, D., Rui, A., Song, J., Hu, L., & Wei, G. (2024) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.14573 · Cited by 7
Closed-Loop Systems and Real-Time Neurofeedback in Mindfulness Meditation Research
Chen, J., & Ziegler, D. A. (2024) · Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.10.012 · Cited by 6
Mylius, M., Guendelman, S., Iliopoulos, F., Gallese, V., & Kaltwasser, L. (2024) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.14712 · Cited by 6
“Britton (2019) suggested that positive benefits may follow an inverted U-shape where positive phenomena can be reduced with increased intensity of practice.”
Humble, G., Geddes, H., Baell, O., Payne, J. E., Hill, A. T., Chung, S. W., Emonson, M., Osborn, M., Caldwell, B., Fitzgerald, P. B., et al. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02519-6 · Cited by 8
“…perspectives suggest that mindfulness-based Interventions (MBIs) are more likely to yield positive outcomes post-intervention when they are designed to target the underlying intervention mechanisms, rather than targeting focusing solely on outcome measures (Britton, 2019; Britton et al., 2018).”
Combining mindfulness and compassion in the treatment of complex trauma – a theoretical exploration
Strand, M., & Stige, S. H. (2021) · European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1016/j.ejtd.2021.100217 · Cited by 10
Lee, J., Moon, Y.-K., Lee, K., & Beehr, T. A. (2023) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2023.112447 · Cited by 6
Alruwayti, H. A., & Sulphey, M. M. (2023) · Problems and Perspectives in Management · doi:10.21511/ppm.21(4).2023.46 · Cited by 6
“Further, Britton (2019) identified that practicing mindfulness could lead to goodness in organizations.”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Britton, W. B.
- Affiliations
- Brown University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Britton, Willoughby B
- Venue
- Current Opinion in Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-08
- Volume
- 28
- Pages
- 159-165
- ISSN
- 2352-250X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6612475
- OpenAlex
- W2910579481
- Semantic Scholar
- 9bb1b1d9b7c875f59bee971ecae7ef24926faa59
- Cited by
- 267
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 3.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- Current Opinion in Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- MindRxiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- MindRxiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (K23-AT006328-01A1)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (UH2AT009145)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- mindfulness, non-monotonic effects, inverted U-shaped relationship, mindful attention, interoception, decentering, acceptance, meditation practice, boundary conditions, mindfulness-based interventions
- MeSH terms
- Emotional Regulation, Attention, Awareness, Humans, Meditation, Mindfulness, Interoception
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A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-07 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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