The effects of mindfulness on working memory: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Listed in
This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.Abstract
Objectives
Mindfulness is a promising health intervention, showing potential effects on cognitive functions like memory. Despite evidence suggesting mindfulness improves working memory, inconsistencies in results and methodologies prevent definitive conclusions. This meta-analysis examines the effects of mindfulness interventions on working memory across clinical and healthy populations, and various age groups.
Methods
A systematic search for relevant English and Persian articles was conducted in WOS, Scopus, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases, along with nine meta-analyses up to February 2023. Included studies consisted of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), controlled trials (CTs), and single-group studies. Overall, 29 studies with 2076 participants aged 5–85 years were analyzed.
Results
Mindfulness interventions demonstrated a medium effect size on working memory: RCT two-group studies (Hedges g = 0.438, p < 0.001), CT two-group studies (Hedges g = 0.385, p < 0.005), and single-group studies (Hedges g = 0.583, p < 0.001). These findings confirm the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in improving working memory.
Conclusions
Mindfulness interventions exhibit promising effects on working memory. However, further primary research, particularly rigorous RCTs, is needed to better understand their impacts on clinical versus healthy populations and across diverse age groups.
