Minding the body: A meta-analysis of the effects of mindfulness meditation training on self-reported interoception

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 ($\tau =0.16$). 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.