Does mindfulness work?
9 methods that aren't meditation, plus problems with meditation research.
Post summary
On Monday, we talked to Henry Shukman about meditation myths, facts, and the real “point” of meditation. Watch or listen to our conversation here.
But meditation isn’t for everyone, and the good news is that there are many ways to reap the benefits of meditation without sitting.
Today we’ll cover:
Some of the problems with meditation research and why other “mindfulness” methods may work just as well.
9 ways to see some of the benefits of meditation without actually meditating.
Why this matters: You’ll find a mental practice that works best for you—helping you become a better human who’s a bit less crazy.
Housekeeping
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Audio/podcast version
The post
Mindfulness has become a $1.5 billion industry. It lives on your phone, in corporate wellness programs, and all over Instagram.
But as mindfulness practices have boomed, they’ve often strayed from their original intent and been pitched as miracle cure. (Watch Monday’s conversation with Henry Shukman to learn more about that topic and the deeper point of meditation.)
As one researcher put it:
Among the promised psychological and physical benefits of meditation are the elimination or reduction of stress, anxiety and depression, as well as bipolar disorder, eating disorders, diabetes, substance abuse, chronic pain, blood pressure, cancer, autism and schizophrenia. It is a panacea for the individual.
The research seems to back that up—on the surface, at least. In 2006, fewer than 100 mindfulness studies were published. In 2020, that number was 2,808.
But here’s the thing: The science of meditation is shaky. Very shaky.
Here are a few issues with the research:
No control groups: Many studies find that groups who meditate see a mental health benefit compared to a control group that does nothing. But when scientists have control groups do something, meditation often shows no benefit1.
Biased research: Some research finds benefits only when the study author is also the meditation teacher, skewing the research2.
Small studies and publication bias: Many studies are tiny, and, of course, researchers don’t publish studies that don’t find a benefit.
Underreported harms: Research in the 60s and 70s found that meditation can exacerbate mental health issues in some people, but those effects have largely been ignored in new studies for a variety of reasons3.
Some scientists also argue that taking mindfulness practices too far leads to delusion. The NYU psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman calls it “spiritual narcissism” and puts it4 like this:
If a major point of yoga is quieting the ego and reducing focus on self, why are there so many yoga pose pictures on Instagram?
In a series of three studies on yoga and meditation5, German researchers concluded:
Our results illustrate that the self-enhancement motive is powerful and deeply ingrained so that it can hijack methods intended to transcend the ego and instead, adopt them to its own service.... The road to spiritual enlightenment may yield the exact same mundane distortions that are all too familiar in social psychology, such as self-enhancement, illusory superiority, closed-mindedness, and hedonism (clinging to positive experiences) under the guise of alleged ‘higher’ values.
My experience
I meditated daily for five or six years and saw some real benefits. Then I spent a month in the backcountry of Alaska.
Out there, I experienced all of the deeper upsides the gurus speak of: Feelings of connectedness, an ability to notice thoughts, realizing that what I thought was a “problem” wasn’t a problem at all, and more.
It made me think there might be more paths to the basket than sitting and noticing thoughts. Plus, some of us just aren’t wired to sit. We need different, more active practices.
I still meditate occasionally, and I do believe the type of meditation Henry Shukman discussed on Monday is powerful. But I also do a lot of other practices that enhance my mind.
Here are nine other ways to experience some of the upsides of meditation that aren’t meditation (4 and 7 have worked best for me). Write what’s helped you in the comments.
1. Listen to a song—really listen
Music is good for us. One study suggests6:
Music profoundly impacts emotional states, offering therapeutic benefits in alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression.
Play your favorite song and focus entirely on the music.
When thoughts arise—e.g., “what am I going to eat for dinner tonight?”—go back to the song. Listen. Listen. If anything, you’ll train your mind to focus and find new layers in your favorite music.
My favorite album for this is A Love Supreme by Coltrane. Choose what moves you.
2. Clean with intention
In Zen monasteries, it’s called Soji: cleaning, sweeping, mopping, and doing dishes as a form of presence practice.
For Zen monks, the point isn’t to finish the chore; it’s to do the chore fully—to realize that joy and aliveness can come from mundane tasks.
The Vietnamese monk Thích Nhất Hạnh said, “While washing the dishes, you might be thinking about the tea you’re going to drink afterward. So you’re not really washing the dishes—you’re living in the future. But if you can’t wash the dishes, chances are you won’t be able to drink the tea either.”
It’s a good reminder that life isn’t a series of interstitials we have to rush through to get to the good stuff. Every moment can be the good stuff if we pay attention.