Online Mindfulness Meditation App Headspace Has Comparable Outcomes To In-Person Therapy

A four-week intervention using Headspace, a popular online mindfulness meditation app, had comparable outcomes to in-person therapy, according to researchers at MIT. After using Headspace for two weeks, those in the intervention group had meaningful improvements in their symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.

The four-week experiment included the participation of 2,384 adults from the U.S. While Headspace usage declined after three weeks, the treatment effects persisted at four weeks corresponding to a 11-to-13 percentage-point reduction in the share of participants with moderate symptoms of anxiety and depression relative to the control . . .