Psychologist warned about the impact of meditation apps on mental health

Using meditation apps can lead to positive results. Even short-term use could help reduce depression, anxiety, and stress levels, as well as improve symptoms of insomnia. This is reported by the BBC Science Daily magazine.

There are currently thousands of meditation apps, the top 10 of which have been downloaded over 300 million times.

"Meditation apps like Calm and Headspace are hugely popular in the commercial market. Now they not only attract millions of users every day, but also create new scientific opportunities and challenges," said William S. Dietrich II Professor of Psychology and neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University. David Creswell.

One of the big advantages of such applications is accessibility. They also provide scientists with a unique opportunity to scale their research. According to Creswell, he was previously able to invite 300 patients with irritable bowel syndrome to his laboratory and study the effects of meditation on pain management. At the same time, he is now thinking about how to use the capabilities of such applications and devices to study 30,000 of the same patients around the world.

Combined with heart rate and sleep measurement devices such as Fitbit and Apple Watch, meditation apps can now incorporate biometric data into meditation practices. The most important thing is to radically change the way these practices are disseminated to the general public.

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Scientific usage studies show that meditation apps reach 96% of all users in the mental health app market.

"Meditation apps dominate the market for mental health apps. And this article is really the first to describe the new norm and invite researchers and technology developers to take a fresh look at the destructive nature of these applications and their impact," added Creswell.

Meditation apps offer users to train their minds in small steps at first. As in the case of personal training, applications begin with familiarization with the current situation. It is noted that introductory courses can be devoted to breathing or mindfulness.

According to the study, it only takes 10-21 minutes of meditation per week using the app to notice the result. Creswell noted that this is very different from the daily practice of an individual group program, which usually lasts 30-45 minutes a day.

It is noted that meditation through a mobile application may be interesting for those who have little time or no funds for face-to-face classes with a coach. They may also be pleased to know that they can practice meditation on request rather than on a schedule, including standing in line for coffee with three minutes available for a short attention exercise.

Creswell stressed that as meditation applications develop, the integration of artificial intelligence, including chatbots that help in meditation, will become more widespread. This will further personalize the practice, as well as be an important step towards the widespread adoption of meditation.

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"People use meditation for different purposes, and there is a big difference between someone who wants to optimize their free throw accuracy and someone who is trying to relieve chronic pain," said Creswell, who previously coached Olympic athletes.

At the same time, it is clarified that new technologies entail new problems. For meditation applications, this is the problem of engagement. Creswell clarified that this is not unique to this kind of application. According to him, 95% of people stop using them after 30 days after downloading.

For the meditation app industry to succeed, it's necessary to find ways to keep users interested, as apps like Duolingo do. At the same time, Creswell pointed out that the demand for these applications is obvious. According to him, there are astronomical levels of stress and loneliness in the world, which application tools can help with.

"I don't think there will ever be a full-fledged replacement for a good meditation group or instructor. But I think meditation apps are a great first step for those who want to master the practice and start training mindfulness skills. The first studies show that these meditation apps help alleviate symptoms and even reduce the level of biomarkers of stress," the specialist added.

Earlier, on September 18, BBC Science Daily magazine called afternoon fatigue a natural part of the body's biological rhythms. According to the publication, the human body is programmed to feel low energy levels at certain times of the day.

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