Why do people meditate?

With more and more studies being done every day to demonstrate the many benefits of meditation, it’s no wonder why this ancient practice is skyrocketing in popularity.

In this article, we’ll go over a few of the statistics available, proving why a personal meditation practice is so valuable.

Who's doing it

It’s currently estimated that up to 500 million people meditate worldwide, today.

A 2012 study by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health concluded that there were 18 million meditators in the US alone.

That 18% of the population! That number has been growing rapidly since that study was taken 8 years ago, with people trying new meditation techniques every day.

How it's grown

10x more children meditate than they did 8 years ago
54% of employers offer mindfulness training to their workers.
The amount of people meditating since 2012 has tripled
Over 14% of adults in the US have tried meditation

Popularity by age group

18-44
0%
45-64
0%
65+
0%

What is meditation used for?

A scientific report posted in nature.com looked into data from the 2012 US National Health Interview Survey into the different benefits people were looking to gain from meditation practice and how effective they found it.

Wellness

Emotional Control

72%

Memory

Increased Focus

50%

Anxiety

Better Relationships

29%

Energy

Increased Cognitive Flexibility

60%

0%

60% of people questioned in the study reported significant improvement with the above conditions.

It only takes 4 days for people to notice a difference in their ability to concentrate after starting meditation
75% of insomniacs who try meditation report an improvement in their capability to fall asleep

Within 6-9 months of meditation practice anxiety can be reduced by 

0%

The improvement of daily tasks by those suffering back pain 

0%

The reduction of  relapsing into depression by those practicing mindfulness

0%

The likelihood of reducing PTSD symptoms by meditating

0%

In conclusion

With the benefits of mindfulness being tested and proven all the time, its no wonder why more and more people are looking to learn how to meditate.

Beyond the science, meditation is built on a rich history with over a thousand-year of continued interest. If you’re looking for a way to get into meditation there hundreds of recourses available to help you incorporate his ancient practice into your day to day life.

MindEasy has a growing library of free meditation courses for you to choose from and we’re always available to answer any question or give you support in any way you need.