Episode 109: RE-RELEASE: Against Mindfulness

Playing devil's advocate, Yoel and Mickey mount a criticism against the scientific study of mindfulness. What is mindfulness? Can we measure it? Is mindfulness-based therapy effective? Can mindfulness improve the quality of attention beyond the meditation cushion? Are effects of mindfulness mostly placebo effects produced by motivated practitioners and adherents? Should we be impressed by mindfulness meditation’s supposed effects on conceptions of the self? Is mindfulness, in all its complexity, amenable to scientific study?

Bonus: Is the value of diversity and inclusivity a core part of open science?

This is a re-release of an episode first released on August 7, 2019. Links:Burdock BreweryLunch Money | Collective Arts BrewingPsyArXiv Preprints | Will this time be different?Opinion | Can We End the Meditation Madness? - The New York TimesThe benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being - PubMedMind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation - PubMedArgentine tango dance compared to mindfulness meditation and a waiting-list control: a randomised trial for treating depression - PubMedMeditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis | Complementary and Alternative Medicine | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA NetworkMindfulness training affects attention--or is it attentional effort? - PubMedMeditation, mindfulness and executive control: the importance of emotional acceptance and brain-based performance monitoring - PubMedCognitive effects of MBSR/MBCT: A systematic review of neuropsychological outcomes - PubMedMindfulness training as cognitive training in high-demand cohorts: An initial study in elite military servicemembers - PubMedA randomised active-controlled trial to examine the effects of an online mindfulness intervention on executive control, critical thinking and key thinking dispositions in a university student sample | BMC Psychology | Full Text