# Minding the Body: A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Training on Self-reported Interoception

## TL;DR

This study finds that mindfulness meditation training improves self-reported interoception, which may help improve mental wellbeing.

## Contribution

A pre-registered meta-analysis showing mindfulness interventions enhance interoception with moderate effect sizes.

## Key findings

- Mindfulness interventions improved self-reported interoception with a small-to-medium effect (g = 0.31).
- Mindfulness-based programs had the largest effect (g = 0.41) compared to other types of interventions.
- Improvements in interoception were linked to reduced psychological distress.

## Abstract

Mindfulness meditation training may cultivate interoceptive awareness and provide therapeutic benefit when implemented within mental and physical health interventions. This pre-registered meta-analysis evaluated the impact of mindfulness interventions on self-reported interoception measures and associated relationships with psychological outcomes. Twenty-nine randomized controlled trials with 2,191 participants (77.8% female, mean age 32.8 years) were meta-analyzed using correlated and hierarchical effects models. Interventions included mindfulness-based programs (k = 15), body-based approaches (incorporating elements like massage, k = 8), and other variations (k = 6). Five SIMs were tested; the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness was the most common (22 studies). Results showed a small-to-medium positive effect on interoception measures across all studies (g = 0.31, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.21, 0.42]) with low-to-moderate heterogeneity (τ = 0.16). Mindfulness-based programs demonstrated the largest effects (g = 0.41). No evidence of publication bias was found. No other moderators, such as practice dosage or clinical sample, were significant. Improvements in self-reported interoception were similar in size to improvements in self-reported mindfulness and were related to improvements in psychological distress. These meta-analytic findings provide evidence that mindfulness-based interventions lead to adaptive changes in the subjective experience of interoception, perhaps contributing to improved mental wellbeing.