A new study from the Universities of Bath and Southampton, published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, found that just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice can significantly improve wellbeing, reduce depression and anxiety, and motivate people to adopt healthier lifestyles, including better exercise, eating and sleeping habits.
The study involved 1,247 adults from 91 countries who were new to mindfulness. Participants were randomly assigned to either a mindfulness routine or a control group that listened to excerpts of Alice in WonderlandThe mindfulness group practiced relaxation exercises, intention setting, body scanning, breath-focused attention, and self-reflection for 30 days using the free Medito app.
Results showed that those who practiced mindfulness experienced a 19.2% greater reduction in depression, a 6.9% improvement in well-being, a 12.6% decrease in anxiety, a 7.1% increase in positive health attitudes, and a 6.5% increase in intentions to maintain healthy habits compared to the control group. These benefits were largely maintained one month after the trial ended, with participants reporting continued improvements in well-being, depression, attitudes, and sleep quality.
Participants shared a variety of benefits from their mindfulness practice, stating: “Awareness, self-control, gratitude, I am more patient and enjoy the present moment more” and “Completing these meditation sessions has allowed me to better understand how my mind works. They have helped me better understand many things and have shown me a different perspective through which to look at the world.”
Lead researcher Masha Remskar noted that
“Even brief, daily mindfulness practices can offer benefits, making it a simple yet powerful tool for improving mental health.”
She also noted that the study is one of the first to link mindfulness practice with healthier lifestyle habits, such as better sleep and a stronger intention to live a healthy life. “Mindfulness develops the psychological skills needed to create healthy habits,” she added.
Dr Ben Ainsworth highlighted the role of digital technology in making mindfulness accessible, saying: “The research highlights how digital technology – in this case, a freely available app – can help people integrate behavioural and psychological techniques into their lives, in a way that suits them.”
Dr. Max Western expressed his enthusiasm for the potential impact of the study:
“It is exciting to see that such a simple and affordable intervention, which has the potential to reach a large global audience, can have an impact on healthy lifestyle habits. It is even more encouraging that these benefits were maintained after completion of the mindfulness course, suggesting that this practice can help create sustainable habits.”
The study was funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council and was carried out in collaboration with the Medito Foundation, a non-profit organisation that offers a free mindfulness meditation app. While the Foundation developed the app used in the study, it was not involved in the data collection, analysis or publication process.
In this blog, MQ volunteer Jonny explains how mindfulness changed his life.
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