How do you know if mindfulness really works?
For most of human history, the answer to that question depended on who you trusted:
- Your own experience:
“I tried meditation and it helped me—but I’m not sure what it would do for you.” - Someone seen as an authority:
“The one-who-knows says this plant will cure your anxiety.”
With the rise of science, the standard began to shift. Today—especially around health and well-being—we look for practices that have been tested, not just recommended. We want some reassurance that what we’re trying has evidence behind it and is reasonably safe.
That’s true for prescription drugs, for diet and exercise, and increasingly, for mindfulness.
Why Evidence Matters (Especially for the Mind)
In health care, the bar for proof is high.
It can take decades of studies to show that a particular medication is safe and effective, or that a certain lifestyle change reduces the risk of heart disease.
Now imagine trying to measure a practice that works directly with the mind:
- Thoughts
- Emotions
- Moment-to-moment awareness
It’s even more complex.
And yet, researchers have been taking on that challenge. Over the last couple of decades, the science of mindfulness has begun to take shape—not as a fully grown field, but as something more like a healthy, growing baby.
A Young but Rapidly Growing Field
Compared with areas like heart disease or cancer, mindfulness research is still in its early days.
According to the American Mindfulness Research Association:
- In the year 2000, only about 10 mindfulness papers were published in scientific journals.
- By 2016, that number had jumped to almost 700.
That’s a remarkable increase in a relatively short time.
At the same time, to keep things in perspective:
- In 2016 alone, over 42,000 papers related to heart disease were published.
So yes, mindfulness research is growing rapidly—but in the larger landscape of science, it’s still quite young.
The good news?
This “baby” is healthy. Many pilot studies and a growing number of larger, well-designed studies show encouraging results for mindfulness and meditation across areas like stress, anxiety, depression, pain, and overall well-being.
Why “Proven” Is a Tricky Word
It’s important to be careful with big, sweeping claims.
Saying that a lifestyle choice “proves” it reduces heart disease is already difficult. Saying that meditation “proves” it changes the mind or behavior in a specific way is even more challenging.
When you hear that a study has found a benefit from meditation, it helps to ask:
- For whom?
Who were the participants—students, clinical populations, professionals, people already interested in mindfulness? - Compared to what?
Did they compare mindfulness to no treatment, to another form of support, or to something like exercise or education? - For how long?
Were the results measured after a week, eight weeks, six months, or longer? - In what setting?
Was this a lab study, a workplace program, a hospital, a school? - Who funded and conducted the research?
This can sometimes shape what questions get asked and how.
It also matters how the study defined “mindfulness”:
- What instructions were participants given?
- How often did they practice, and for how long?
- Were they guided by a trained instructor?
- How were outcomes measured—self-report, brain scans, behavioral changes?
The more we pay attention to this “fine print,” the better we understand what the research can and can’t tell us.
Why Mindful Celebrates the Research Revolution
At Mindful, we’re excited about the mindfulness research boom—not because we’re searching for a final, absolute verdict:
“Mindfulness is now officially proven. Case closed.”
Instead, we value research for a different reason:
it mirrors a core aspect of mindfulness itself.
Mindfulness invites us to:
- Stay curious
- Keep noticing what’s happening
- Test our assumptions
- Be willing to learn and adjust
Scientific research does the same thing—on a large, collective scale.
As researchers refine their questions and methods, we get:
- Clearer pictures of what mindfulness may help with
- Better understanding of for whom it works best
- More realistic expectations about how much practice matters, and in what contexts
Each study is like another data point in an ongoing process of discovery, not the final word.
So… How Do You Really Know?
In the end, even with all the charts, brain scans, and journal articles, the question still comes back to something deeply personal:
How do you know what mindfulness does—or doesn’t do—for you?
You might:
- Read what researchers say
- Listen to teachers and practitioners
- Explore stories from friends, colleagues, or communities
And then, at some point, you decide to try it yourself.
You take a class, listen to a guided practice, or sit quietly for a few minutes to notice your breath. Over time, you pay attention:
- Does anything shift in your mood or stress levels?
- Do you relate differently to your thoughts or emotions?
- Do your relationships feel any different?
That lived experience—alongside what you learn from others—is what ultimately answers the question, How do you know?
This article originally appeared in the December 2017 issue of Mindful magazine.
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