Increased Interest for Mindfulness Online.

BACKGROUND: "Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment non-judgmentally" as defined by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. Mindfulness has been practiced for centuries in various traditions and religions. During the last decade, mindfulness has been implemented in clinical trials, psychotherapy, vacation retreats, and even in technology with smartphone applications. AIMS: The aim of this manuscript is to study the interest in mindfulness online.
METHODS: A Google Trends analysis was performed for the years 2004-2020, worldwide.
RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase for the term "mindfulness" for the period studied (β: 2.14, 95%, confidence interval: 1.96-2.32, P < 0.001). Countries that searched for the term the most were Ireland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, and New Zealand, while the continent of Africa had the lowest searches. Searches for mindfulness peaked in April 2020, which is possible because of the anxiety caused worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CONCLUSIONS: The observed increase in the interest for mindfulness might reflect society's need for grounding and improving quality of life. High-quality clinical studies are necessary to answer questions about the mechanism in which mindfulness improves symptoms and how it can be incorporated into modern treatment plans. Copyright:

Introduction

“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment non-judgmentally” as defined by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. Bishop et al. described two components of mindfulness, one that involves self-regulation of attention and the other characterized by an orientation, curiosity, and acceptance toward the present moment.[1] Mindfulness has been practiced for centuries in various traditions and religions. The concept of mindfulness has been first explored by the Buddhist traditions in broad philosophical terms. However, it grew rapidly in the west when it was incorporated in standardized mindfulness-based interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.[1] During the last decade, mindfulness has been implemented in clinical trials, psychotherapy, vacation retreats, and even in technology with smartphone applications. Mindfulness appears to have therapeutic effects on well-being and emotional balance, and hence, it continues to capture the interest of researchers, practitioners, and patients.[1]

Mindfulness has spread through internet and social media. Information about specific techniques, teaching centers and tools, and benefits and applications is widely available online. In this article, we sought to evaluate interest in mindfulness online, study any potential trends, and identify countries with the most searches.

Methods

A search for the term “mindfulness” was submitted using Google Trends. Google Trends is an online machine providing results for the terms that were searched for on Google. It has been previously used in medical research to provide an insight on interest on various items.[2] The request in this study included worldwide data including the years 2004–2020. Results are presented by Search Volume Index, with 100 as the peak of searches for the specific term and 0 for the lowest. Regression analysis was performed with Stata 14 Software Stata Statistical Software: Release 14. College Station, TX: StataCorp LP. StataCorp.

Results

Overtime, there was a statistically significant increase in searched for mindfulness (β: 2.14, 95%, confidence interval: 1.96–2.32, P < 0.001) [Figure 1]. Searches were the highest in Ireland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, and New Zealand [Table 1]. Searches for mindfulness peaked in April 2020 (100% Search Volume Index). This is possible because of the anxiety caused worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figure 1

Google searches for “mindfulness” worldwide, from 2004 to 2020 displayed as Search Volume Index. The interest for “mindfulness” increased significantly for the period studied

Table 1

Countries with the most “mindfulness” searches (%)

1. Ireland 100

2. Denmark 87

3. Netherlands 86

4. Sweden 58

5. New Zealand 52

6. Australia 51

7. United Kingdom 49

8. Norway 44

9. Spain 44

10. Finland 40

As seen on the map [Figure 2], Africa had the lowest searches. Related terms searched for with mindfulness were “meditation,” “meditation mindfulness,” “mindfulness training,” “mindfulness therapy,” “mindfulness YouTube.”

Figure 2

Map displaying searches for “mindfulness” among different countries. Darker shade of color translates to higher volume of searches for a specific country

Discussion

There was a significant increase in the interest of mindfulness worldwide from 2004 to 2020. European and Oceanian countries were the regions that mostly searched for “mindfulness,” whereas Africa had the fewest searches. Our results suggest that people were interested in finding out more about mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic and using it as a method to cope with the stress and uncertainty it brought worldwide.

Mindfulness practices can designate both modern approaches and traditional practices. Mindfulness as “vipassana” technique has been one of the most ancient meditative techniques originating from Buddhism. In 1992, Jon Kabat-Zinn et al. created a structured intervention, called MBSR. In the last decade, studies on these practices have been increasing and gained a lot of popularity in the scientific community, due to its effect on clinical and nonclinical populations. It is reported to have effect on stress, depression, sleep, anxiety, pain management, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and burnout symptoms.[3456] However, the majority of the reviews evaluating the effect of mindfulness on various symptoms lack quality.

The mind and body connection is well established. There is some evidence suggesting that mindfulness can affect physical health, including stress-related and disease-specific conditions (e.g., psoriasis , irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and HIV).[7] Healthcare professionals should be aware of this evidence and promote research toward this direction to improve quality of evidence.

While scientific recommendation toward a more holistic and mindful way of living exists, the reason for increasing popularity of mindfulness could potentially be partly due to what we call “participatory medicine.” Patients involved in studies with mindfulness interventions often spoke with enthusiasm about being able to participate actively in their own treatment and improving the outcomes of their therapy.[8] Indeed, there are studies with participatory approaches influencing the regression of coronary artery disease and survival in breast cancer and in malignant melanoma.[89101112]

The current age has been characterized as one of the “continuous partial attentions.”[11] Cellphones with constant notifications requiring our attention and entertainment with intruding advertisements invade every moment of our already fast-paced life. The observed increase in the interest for mindfulness might reflect societies need for grounding and improving quality of life. High-quality clinical studies are necessary to answer questions about the mechanism in which mindfulness improves symptoms and how it can be incorporated into modern treatment plans.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.