Too Much or Not Enough of a Good Thing?: Reconciling Differing Perspectives on the Optimal Dose of Mindfulness Meditation and Advancing a Dose-Response Research Agenda
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Abstract
Mindfulness meditation is now practiced broadly in both religious and secular contexts, with numerous studies indicating potential benefits across a range of psychosocial domains.However, despite significant research effort, we still know little about dose-response effects-how frequently or for how long individuals might need to practice mindfulness meditation to achieve certain practice goals.Increasingly, recommended amounts of practice are becoming shorter, with unclear effects on outcomes.We review and critically appraise the state of knowledge about dose-response effects drawn from empirical investigations, traditional sources, and trends in contemporary teaching and practice.We argue that limitations inherent to the range of doses and analytic approaches used in previous studies reduce our ability to inform the dose-response question.We propose a practical research agenda that prioritizes the question of dose response, incorporating design features optimized specifically to understand the dose-response relationship and how it might vary between outcomes and individuals.Prioritizing the dose-response agenda will allow us to reconcile differences between knowledge sources and enable us to optimize mindfulness programs based on individuals, their goals, and the context in which they practice.
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- Authors
- Bowles, N. I., Davies, J. N., Strohmaier, S., Galante, J., & Van Dam, N. T.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Canterbury Christ Church University (GB)
- Venue
- Journal of Contemplative Studies
- Publisher
- Contemplative Sciences Center
- Published
- 2026-02-12
- ISSN
- 3066-9030 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W7128630120
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 80
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 7
- FWCI
- 56.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Journal of Contemplative Studies (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Keywords
- mindfulness meditation, dose-response relationship, optimal dose, research agenda
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