In 2021 alone, 16,581 publications on mindfulness were published in scientific journals. Given the research and consumer interest in this and other mental health apps, a group of researchers led by Catherine Begin conducted a scoping review to better understand mindfulness and self-compassion using apps and online platforms to address concerns such as work burnout and stress. Scoping reviews are designed to examine emerging evidence and summarize the evidence on a specific topic of interest. Recently published in the Journal for Technology and Behavioral Science, the study was designed to assess the current state of the literature on the use of online programs and mobile applications of self-compassion, mindfulness, and meditation (digital mindfulness-based interventions; dMBIs).
The focus on accessing mindfulness information through behavioral health technology is particularly relevant, given the remarkable popularity of mindfulness apps such as Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer, Palouse Mindfulness, UCLA Mindful, Mindfulness Coach, and HeadGear. According to the Headspace webpage, accessed February 2023 by the current author, “Headspace is part of Headspace Health, the world’s most accessible, comprehensive provider of mental health and well-being care. Headspace Health also consists of Headspace for Work and Ginger, who partner with over 2,500 companies and health plans to provide access to meditation, mindfulness, coaching, therapy, and psychiatry to their members and employees. Partners include Starbucks, Adobe, Delta Air Lines, ViacomCBS, Cigna, and Kaiser Permanente.”
Similarly, Calm makes the following claim on their webpage, “We’re the #1 app for Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation, with over 100 million downloads and over 1.5M+ 5-star reviews. We’re honored to be an Apple BEST OF 2018 award winner, Apple’s App of the Year 2017, Google Play Editor’s Choice 2018, and to be named by the Center for Humane Technology as “the world’s happiest app” (accessed February 2023 by the current…
