The Mindfulness Industrial Complex: What the Science Actually Says About Meditation (And What the $9 Billion App Market Prefers You Didn’t Know)
Only 30% of mindfulness research has been rigorously tested. 8.3% of participants experience adverse effects. A 2026 PLOS One study found brief meditation may increase bias. The $9 billion app market has not updated its marketing copy. Here’s the sarcastic but scientifically grounded breakdown of what mindfulness evidence actually shows — and what it doesn’t.