A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of mindfulness meditation on prosocial behavior found, essentially, that there is no evidence that it works. I find these results entirely unsurprising, and they yet again highlight the need for rigorous research before concluding that a phenomenon is real.
https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/mindfulness-no-better-than-watching-tv/
mindfulness is way better than watching tv
Iāve always felt like mindfulness was crap science. This makes me feel validated. Though, I didnāt read the link, but I assume itās reputable since youāre posting it.
I wonder why this man is so happy then. Obviously, it canāt be anything to do with meditationā¦ 
"To reach the conclusion that Ricard is the worldās happiest man, neuroscientist Richard Davidson hooked the monk up to 256 sensors as he meditated on compassion. Davidson discovered that Ricardās brain produced a level of gamma waves - which are linked to consciousness, attention, learning and memory - never before reported in scientific literature. "
One study which I read āprovesā otherwise, yet speaking from my own personal experience meditation has transformed my life. I do the mantra meditation, similar to Transcendental Meditation which was not included in the study.
I think anyone who tries to quantify who is the worldās āhappiestā man is intellectually a few sandwiches short of a picnic. There is no standard definition of happiness on which to base such claims.
It is tongue in cheek over hype as used by the media, however, the levels of gamma waves in his brain were scientifically recorded and measured.
āI know happier monks,ā the Buddhist who can meditate for days at a time told the magazine. āI really do. Itās absurd,ā he added.
Have you actually tried to meditate yourself to evaluate from your personal experience?
Snap Iāve just bought a book about mindfulness, guess it belongs in the trash now 
Are we talking about all meditation or just mindfulness? Because thatās a specific type of practices and meditation.
The study was done on mindfulness, loving kindness meditation and compassionate meditation.
For those of you dismissing mediation as watching a nature programme on tv, donāt give up yet. Only one study has come to this conclusion. There are studies that prove meditation actually makes physical changes to the brain, and if meditation is doing that it is definitely doing something.
Meditation Helps Preserve the Aging Brain
Meditation Reduces Activity in the Brainās āMe Center"
Its Effects Rival Antidepressants for Depression, Anxiety
Meditation May Lead to Volume Changes in Key Areas of the Brain
Just a Few Days of Training Improves Concentration and Attention
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797612459659
Meditation Reduces Anxiety ā and Social Anxiety
Meditation Can Help with Addiction
Short Meditation Breaks Can Help Kids in School
It is not hocus pocus waste ot time as proved by all of these studies and moreā¦
No harm in trying though, I can work well for poeple!
Itās amazing though how if you believe something will help you it usually does. The placebo effect is pretty amazing.
If I could convince myself that that mindfulness ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā works I would be very happy. However Iāve never truly believed in it.
I prefer to try things myself rather then read a scientific study. It has to pass through my gauntlet of truth rather then someone else.
I think that western secularized versions of meditation are less effective and different than the original ones.
simple meditation is always powerful. doesnt matter if itās western or eastern.
I think they are still different for the influence of the background and of the spiritual goalā¦
yes thatās true.
There are conflicting opinions as to the effectiveness of mindfulness. There is far from universal support for it.
There arenāt many standard definitions of any psychological concept, unfortunately. But there are areas of the brain (pleasure hotspots) which are in some way objectively related to happiness. You could maybe locate these for this specific person and then measure the activity in different settings, but that would take a lot of time and effort. For most purposes, though, self-reports and a larger sample will do just fine.
Have you tried it? Iām not using it as therapy, but I use meditation to calm myself down and relieve stress. It works pretty well, and much faster and better than watching TV. It doesnāt make me very happy or prosocial, just calmer.