mindfulness
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness “is the idea of learning how to be fully present and engaged in the moment, aware of your thoughts and feelings without distraction or judgment” [2]. It originates from early Eastern religions, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism. As the practice traveled from East to West, its religious roots were traded for secular ones. In recent years, the use of mindfulness has skyrocketed, becoming a pivotal point in many mental health techniques.
Mindfulness is one of the most common elements used by mental health apps. The central claims when using mindfulness-based apps are that they will positively impact overall well-being, life satisfaction, reduce stress, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and increase resilience [1].
"Experience a greater sense of focus, calm, and clarity in your life ."
- Andy Puddicombe
meditation
What is meditation?
Meditation is the main exercise used to increase mindfulness. It is a way to clear your mind and find clarity within your thoughts. Apps that use meditation techniques include Headspace, Calm, Healthy Mind Program, and Smiling Mind. All four of these apps provide studies that show evidence of the positive effects of mindfulness. The studies are based on randomized controlled trials using guided meditation exercises focusing on mindfulness.
"Meditation is both a skill and an experience that can positively impact your overall health and happiness."
-Headspace
Headspace
Headspace is one of the top mindfulness and meditation apps. Its creators’ main goal was to make mindfulness meditation simple in order to reduce stress and improve overall well-being. There are eight mindfulness techniques that Headspace focuses on - noting, focused attention, body scans, loving, kindness, skillful, compassion, visualization, resting awareness, and reflection.
Results from their studies provide evidence that supports their claims, as many participants reported a decrease in stress and an overall better sense of well-being at the end of the trials. Headspace also states that meditation will reduce burn-out and decrease work stress. One study conducted focused on medical students [4]. By participating in a daily meditation session, results indicated that participants’ overall well-being reflected Headspace’s claims. The biggest downside to Headspace is that there is a subscription fee of $12.99 a month or $69.99 a year after a 7-day free trial.
"take a deep breath"
-Calm
Calm
Calm is another popular app that shares similar claims with Headspace. The app is said to promote well-being and enhance mindfulness. Some of the main focuses include reducing stress and anxiety, enhancing focus, and self-improvement. One feature they promote involves mindful breathing, as seen above with their breath bubble. The goal of mindful breathing is to restore balance, focus, and energy.
Studies show that Calm can provide significant gains in well-being and support claims of enhanced mindfulness [6]. Calm also developed a study around college students using the app. The study found that a majority of the students had a positive reaction toward mindfulness meditation and would recommend it to others [5]. Calm’s subscription fee, after a 7-day free trial, is $14.99 a month or $69.99 a year.
"Mindfulness, or “Awareness,” is just the beginning on a journey to train your mind."
-Healthy Minds Program
Healthy Mind Program
Healthy Mind Program (HMP) is an app that strives to go beyond mindfulness and train the brain to develop a healthy mind. They have a strong emphasis on neuroscience and developing four main skills: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Well-being is treated as a skill and something that can be improved upon.
One study they share provides evidence that HMP reduces distress and improves well-being and social connectedness [7]. HMP is a free app without a paywall since they are funded by donors.
"Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity and without judgement."
-Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is an easy-to-use, high-quality app that provides a variety of mindfulness meditations [9]. Through formal or informal mindfulness meditation, their goal is to help reduce anxiety, create a sense of calm, learn to relax and regulate emotions, improve concentration and increase productivity, develop empathy and connectedness, and enjoy better health and sleep [3].
When describing each of their goals, Smiling Mind provides a supportive research study about mindfulness in each specific area. The app contains guided meditations for different situations and consumers and is flexible in the length of its mindfulness meditation sessions, which can range from 1 minute to 60 minutes. The app is free and encourages daily use.
"Training the mind is about our relationship with the passing thoughts and feelings."
-Headspace
Does mindfulness work for everyone?
A disclaimer that many apps don’t openly share is that mindfulness is not for everyone [6]. It is all relative to a user’s individual experience. Some users may feel frustrated by a lack of success because they believe that they are bad at mindfulness. Others enjoy using relaxation exercises to help escape from overwhelming thoughts [28]. While mindfulness may work for many and provide positive benefits, everyone is different. There is also a relatively new phenomenon known as the digital placebo effect. It happens when a user’s interaction with an app is enough to decrease symptomatology [22].
Many apps push for daily sessions, which can produce negative results for those who already have a high sense of mental well-being. For example, Calm recommends completing daily sessions of mindfulness, but one study found that daily practices can diminish a users’ well-being [6]. This goes to show that mindfulness is not a fix-all solution and should be judged based on a combination of personal experience and scientific backing.