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
Items 201–267 of 267
Wijaya, D. A., Ernawati, E., Firmansyah, Y., Nathaniel, F., & Budiman, R. A. (2023) · Malahayati Nursing Journal · doi:10.33024/mnj.v5i8.10957
dos Santos, G. P. (2021) · doi:10.47749/t/unicamp.2021.1236776
The Cruel and Unusual Phenomenologies of Torture and Solitary Confinement
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0011
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0008
Disorder, Dissociation, and Disruption in Self-narrative
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0006
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0003
Mindfulness in the Self-pattern
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0010
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.002.0004
Dynamical Relations in the Self-pattern and Psychopathology
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0005
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.002.0007
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.002.0008
Artificial Transformations of the Self-pattern
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0009
A Threefold Method for Studying Self-pattern Dynamics
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0004
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.003.0002 · Cited by 1
Gallagher, S. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198873068.002.0003
Resiliencia y transformación en la educación
Mendoza, I. M. C., & Romero, R. M. (2023) · doi:10.18050/resileducacion
WITHDRAWNPreprint
Bose, J. (2024) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/6mghw
Research Progress on the Application of Mindfulness Training among College Students
Wang, M. (2024) · Advances in Psychology · doi:10.12677/ap.2024.143128
Weghaupt, D. (2024) · Achtsamkeit - Bildung - Medien · doi:10.1515/9783839470022-042
The Role of Interoception in Lifestyle Factors: A Systematic ReviewPreprint
Mulder, J., Boelens, M., van der Velde, L. A., Brust, M., & Jong, J. C. K. (2024) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2024.10.02.24314756
Mindfulness-based interventions for people living with HIV and HIV prevention: a scoping review
Lu, J., Johnson, K. A., Lewis, P. D., Obuya, C., & Jones, S. C. (2024) · Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services · doi:10.1080/15381501.2024.2413967
“Moreover, since certain individuals might experience aversive effects in mindfulness practices (Britton, 2019), trainers with mental health backgrounds or under the supervision of mental health professionals were in a better position to work with vulnerable populations, including PLWH.”
Kwon, C. (2024) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare12222238
“Specifically, it is possible that increased mindfulness made participants more aware of their emotional regulation efforts at work [28].”
Thakur, N., & Baumann, N. (2025) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-025-10112-6
“However, in line with the lay wisdom that says every coin has two sides, an emerging line of research suggests that mindfulness may not be as glamorous as it is advertised to be (for reviews, see Britton, 2019; Britton et al., 2021; Reynolds et al., 2017; van Dam et al., 2017).”
Alone in Thought: The Risks of Meditation from a Psychotherapeutic Perspective
Wepner, J. (2025) · Psychoanalytic Perspectives · doi:10.1080/1551806x.2024.2439359
“Generally, there is an excessive focus on the positive benefits of improved emotional regulation (Britton, 2019) and a corresponding oversight regarding the psychological risks some experience during the practice.”
InfluentialBowles, N., Burger, A., Davies, J. N., Simpson, J. A., Galante, J., Dennis, S., Stone, B., & Van Dam, N. T. (2025) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/72786
“Britton [67] has hypothesized that meditation-related adverse experiences and problems with sleep may be more likely to occur at higher doses.”
How to Develop Brain Integration
Harung, H. S., & Travis, F. T. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-86667-8_7
Shoesmith, W. D., Kamu, A., & Pang, N. T. P. (2025) · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100918
Faas, R. (2025) · Dominican Scholar (Dominican University of California) · doi:10.33015/dominican.edu/2025.at.03
Danioni, F., Paleari, F. G., Lumera, D., Franchini, C., & Regalia, C. (2025) · International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology · doi:10.1177/0306624x251345941
Be mindful in organizational change: team mindfulness and employee openness to change
Ni, D., Zhang, M., & Zhang, M. (2025) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115551 · Cited by 1
Beyond the Fragmented Self: Theory and Practice of Deconstructive InquiryPreprint
Greenleaf, A. T. (2025) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/3cbue_v1
Integrating Motivational Interviewing and Mindfulness in Chronic Illness Management
See, J., & Patel, R. (2025) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med/9780197631010.003.0012
Vos, L., Juengst, S. B., León‐Novelo, L., Liu, X., Perna, R. B., Williams, M., Wisinger, A. M., Broomfield, R. R., Nwana, O.-E., Aguirre, C. R., et al. (2025) · Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation · doi:10.1097/htr.0000000000001118
Dietary changes as a risk factor and remedy for meditation-related challenges
Lee, J., Canby, N. K., Cooper, D. J., Lindahl, J. R., & Britton, W. B. (2025) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2025.1651167
“The evidence that some of these states may be perceived as pleasant or desirable while others may be destabilizing or “ungrounding” is consistent with a perspective in which processes that are adaptive in moderation become maladaptive when taken to an extreme (51).”
Self-citationGearin, A. K., Suen, C. W. M., & Ng, F. K. Y. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02690-w
“It also reflects positivity biases noted in contemporary mindfulness movements (Britton, 2019), which can leave Utilizers less prepared for difficulty.”
Mindfulness in trauma recovery: applications, insights, and future directions
Chopko, B. A., Mantzios, M., Papazoglou, K., & Adams, R. E. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1700047
“That is, specific aspects of mindfulness that are above or below certain levels may be counter-productive and result in poor health outcomes (Britton, 2019).”
Can Mindfulness Disrupt Temporalities of Contemporary Schooling?
Primdahl, N. L., & McCaw, C. T. (2025) · Studies in Philosophy and Education · doi:10.1007/s11217-025-10019-2
Harnessing the Neurobiology of Empathy and Compassion to Alleviate Burnout in Neurology
Zeidan, F. Z., Stern, J. D., & Mobley, W. C. (2025) · Annals of Neurology · doi:10.1002/ana.78094
Harmony at Work: Nurturing Employee Wellbeing Through Mindfulness Practices:A Literature Review
Shiurkar, M. S. U. (2023) · AIMT Journal of Management · doi:10.65301/aimt.2023.12.i.ii.755
Mascarenhas, M. A., Segal, Z. V., Brown, T. D., & Zakzanis, K. K. (2025) · Neuropsychological Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09602011.2025.2607149
“Interoceptive awareness is one such process that has exhibited non-monotoni-city and generated distress under certain conditions, including anxiety, flash-backs, stress, and pain (Britton, 2019).”
Joshi, A., Patel, D., Muralidharan, V., & Mukerji, M. (2025) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2025.12.27.696659
“Individual variability has to be taken into account as there have been reports of vulnerable populations with a history of trauma, bipolarity and psychosis to be more susceptible to adverse reactions of meditation (30).”
An Exploratory Perspective: Mindfulness Training for Early Childhood Educators in Singapore
Chan, R. K. C., Goh, X. P., & Ng, P. Y. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-3133-2_9
Wang, X., Yuan, M., & Ma, X. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-8587364/v1 · Cited by 1
Rovito, M. J., O'Mahony, C. F., Thomas, K., Brazendale, K., & Fairman, C. M. (2026) · Cancer Medicine · doi:10.1002/cam4.71523
“…evidence suggests that MBIs can, in a subset of individuals, heighten distress by increasing self-focus or amplifying awareness of difficult internal states, particularly when participants have limited prior experience with contemplative practices or lack adequate psychological support [47, 48].”
Using the Novel INDIGO Method to Explore What a Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention Should Comprise
Birtwell, K., Morris, R., & Armitage, C. J. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02763-4
Yadav, Y., & Namrata (2026) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119062
Psychedelics and Centering Prayer
Rajcok, B. (2026) · Pastoral Psychology · doi:10.1007/s11089-026-01306-x
“Britton (2019) suggested that this non-monotonic relationship is likely true for mindfulness practices as well.”
Wie lässt sich eine größere Gehirnintegration entwickeln?
Harung, H. S., Travis, F. T., & Süttmann, M. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-08405-7_7
Evertz, L., Klingenberg, I., & Schwinges-Hess, L. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02813-x
“Similar negative effects have been observed by Britton (2019), who demonstrated that excessive self-observation under certain conditions can cause acute stress.”
Li, T., Zhu, Y., Zhu, L., Xue, B., & Lei, Y. (2026) · Landscape Architecture and Sustainability · doi:10.1016/j.las.2026.100043
Yasiniyan, S., Maynard, M. L., Bosacki, S., & Talwar, V. (2026) · Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal · doi:10.1007/s10560-026-01106-5
“…and emotions (Kabat-Zinn, 2015), and attitudi - nal qualities like loving-kindness, acceptance, curiosity, non-evaluation, and non-attachment (Britton, 2019 )—can 1968 ), we predict that characteristics of the adolescents’ self-portraits will correlate with their self-reported expe -…”
Giacomantonio, M., Valsecchi, N., & Cristofaro, V. D. (2026) · Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/casp.70272
Could Mindfulness Predict Nursing Students’ Happiness? Implications for Nursing Education
Almaawali, M. S., Sawafi, A. A., Shindi, Y. A. A., Zhai, Y., & Fazari, M. K. A. (2026) · SAGE Open Nursing · doi:10.1177/23779608261472299
“Individuals with a healthy level of mindful attention may be more likely to experience positive moments, greater self-awareness, and better emotion management (Britton, 2019; Singh, 2018).”
Mindfulness and Informed Consent: Navigating Ethical Complexity Across Contexts
Berryman, K., Barclay, L., Hassed, C. S., & Hohwy, J. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02939-y
Heldal, R., Skredsvig, M., Hoff, F. G. D., & Vøllestad, J. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02964-x
Haberlin, S., Evans, A., Grainger, E., & Gacharna, A. B. D. (2026) · AI & Society · doi:10.1007/s00146-026-03341-x
Almaawali, M., Abdelhamid, G. S. M., Al-Bahrani, M., Shindi, Y. A., Zhai, Y., Al-Fazari, M., & Al-Zoubi, S. (2026) · Behavioral Science · doi:10.3390/bs16091613
“…and well-being in collectivistic cultures, we did not posit directional hypotheses for all associations but anticipated complex patterns of association among nomophobia, FoMO, mindfulness, and happiness, consistent with previous theoretical and empirical work on mindfulness (Britton, 2019).”
Birtwell, K., Duerden, T., Morris, R., & Armitage, C. J. (2026) · Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.70110
Adverse Experiences in Brief Meditation Practices: Randomized Controlled Trial
Simonsson, O., Jiwani, Z., Ruiz, M., Narayanan, J., Osika, W., Hirshberg, M. J., & Goldberg, S. B. (2026) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/95628
“These findings suggest that the population, the delivery method, and the length or intensity of meditation practice (ie, biological gradient) [16,30] may be important predictors of meditation-related adverse experiences.”
Harris, L. M., Somers, J. A., Cash, E. D., Levinson, C. A., & Smith, A. R. (2026) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.70219
Behar, Y. A., Hadash, Y., Dar, O., & Bernstein, A. (2026) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-026-02982-9
Preparing the body for psilocybin therapy: receptive and generative interoception in cancer patients
Back, A. L., Price, C. J., McGregor, B. A., & Markell, A. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1890966
“Mindfulness techniques based on increasing ‘ awareness ’ often increase self-consciousness of these dynamics without improving the body ’ s capacity to feel under stress (39 – 41); in some participants, they can amplify rather than reduce defensive responses (40, 42).”
Mindfulness and Work Engagement Among Hybrid Employees: A Closer Look
Mierzejewska, K., Woźniak, K., & Chomicki, M. (2026) · Danube · doi:10.2478/danb-2026-0014
“Given conceptual perspectives suggesting that mindfulness-related processes may not always follow strictly linear patterns (Britton, 2019; Choi et al., 2022; Grant and Schwartz, 2011), the study additionally examines whether these relationships may be U-shaped in nature.”
Maleeh, R. (2026) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-026-01506-1
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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