Your Meditation App Helps a Little. Here’s the Honest Number.

1 min read

• Mindfulness apps: A meta-analysis of 45 RCTs found small but real drops in depression (g = 0.24) and anxiety (g = 0.28). That works out to roughly one person in 12 to 14 who benefits beyond the control group. Apps did not beat active therapies (Linardon et al., Clinical Psychology Review, 2024).
• Broader mental-health apps: A 2025 meta-analysis of 19 RCTs (N = 5,165) found similar small effects (g = 0.29) that persisted at follow-up (npj Digital Medicine, 2025).

How to use them like a pro

• Commit to a fixed time each day.
• Pair the app with people: a friend, a class or a therapist.
• Track how you feel each week, not your streaks.

Unpopular opinion: The streak counter is doing more for the app’s retention than for your nervous system.

Lillith Magic · Directed by Anthony Perlas. This is for general information, not medical advice. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (US).

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