Research has found that meditation may ease depression not only by reducing negative thoughts, but by changing the way people treat themselves. A research team led by Céline Stinus and Sophie Berjot at the Cognition, Health and Society lab (C2S) at the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne in France published results of a randomized controlled trial comparing two meditation methods side by side in the international academic journal Mindfulness. PsyPost, a U.S. psychology-focused media outlet, introduced the study in detail on July 11.
Focus or deconstruction—splitting two types of meditation side by side
The research team randomly assigned 147 adults with no meditation experience and no psychiatric diagnosis into three groups. One group practiced focused-attention meditation (breathing meditation and body scan), in which they paid attention to breathing and body sensations. Another group learned a deconstructive, self-exploration approach that examines the feeling of “self” as it is. The remaining group was assigned to a waitlist control group that received no program. Most participants were women, and the average age was in the late 40s.
The program ran for four weeks. Participants joined weekly 60-minute online group sessions, and also carried out at-home practice five days a week for 20 minutes each day. The research team measured depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), dysfunctional attitudes, and feelings that one’s identity is being threatened, both before and after the practice.
Both meditation types reduced depressive symptoms
According to the results, both meditation groups saw a more pronounced reduction in depressive symptoms than the waitlist group. The effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were 0.47 for focused-attention meditation and 0.67 for self-exploration meditation, with no meaningful difference between the two approaches. Feelings that one is under threat also decreased in both groups (0.54 for focused-attention and 0.45 for self-exploration).
The details differed. Focused-attention meditation reduced dysfunctional attitudes—beliefs that reflect distorted assumptions—more than the control group (d=0.77), and the reduction was also greater than in the self-exploration meditation group. By contrast, the self-exploration meditation group showed a relatively higher level of connectedness—feeling linked to humanity and nature. However, the research team said that differences between groups in this sense of connection were an exploratory result that had not been statistically confirmed.
Taking different paths to the same destination, “Meditation is not one thing”
Even though the two meditation types produced similar effects, the pathways they work through were different. In focused-attention meditation, cognitive distancing—viewing one’s thoughts from a step away—fully mediated the reduction in depressive symptoms. In self-exploration meditation, alleviating the sense of threat to identity was explained in part through the sense of connection to humanity. The Stinus research team said, “Meditation isn’t one thing, and different practices can build different psychological skills.” It added, “Becoming vulnerable to depression is not just about having negative thoughts; it is also a problem of experiencing yourself as a fragile being.”
This study was conducted on members of the general public who had not received clinical diagnoses and also has limitations, including the lack of long-term follow-up. The research team added that the results should be read carefully. Still, the study is considered a useful reference for those trying to apply mindfulness in everyday life and counseling settings, because it offers a clue that people can split recommendations for what meditation to practice depending on their goals.
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· PsyPost, “Letting go of a rigid self-image might be the secret to meditation's mental health benefits” (2026-07-11) — https://www.psypost.org/letting-go-of-a-rigid-self-image-might-be-the-secret-to-meditations-mental-health-benefits/
· Original paper: Stinus, C. & Berjot, S., “Preventing Depression through Selflessness…”, Mindfulness, Vol. 17, Issue 5 (online 2026-03-26) — https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-026-02817-7
