Meditation helps with anxiety and depression, but pooled trials show zero evidence it works better than exercise or medication. A pooled analysis evaluated 47 trials with 3515 participants across adult clinical populations, testing mindfulness programs against active control groups to account for placebo effects. Mindfulness meditation produced modest improvements in anxiety (effect size 0.38 at 8 weeks) and depression (0.30 at 8 weeks), alongside modest relief for pain (0.33). The limit: researchers found low or insufficient evidence that meditation improved sleep, eating habits, weight, or positive mood. Across all 47 trials, meditation showed no measurable advantage over standard active treatments like exercise or prescription drugs. Pooled analysis of 47 randomized trials. JAMA Internal Medicine 2014, PMID 24395196