Meditation, Solved: Is It Actually Worth It?

Meditation, Solved: Is It Actually Worth It?

From SOLVED with Mark Manson by Mark Manson

March 18, 2026 · 1h 27m

About this episode

Mark Manson explores the realities of meditation, debunking myths and discussing its actual benefits.

Meditation has been sold to us as a magic pill for so long that the backlash is almost as overblown as the hype. I spent years deep in Buddhist practice, went on retreats, meditated daily — and then slowly discovered that half the gurus evangelizing it were alcoholics, abusers, or running Rolls-Royce-funded cults. Here's what the more careful research actually shows: there are three things meditation does reliably well, and they’re probably not what you've been promised. More importantly, almost everything you've been told about how to do it is wrong — starting with the idea that the goal is to quiet your mind. If your brain turns into a chaotic mess the moment you close your eyes, that's not a failure. That's the whole point. Get your free episode guide: https://solvedpodcast.com/meditation/ CHAPTERS (00:00) Introduction (08:15) Skeptic Claim #1: Meditation Is Overhyped (22:45) Skeptic Claim #2: "Meditation Isn't for Me" (48:33) Skeptic Claim #3: The New-Agey, "Woo-Woo" Crowd Turns Me Off (01:01:01) A Secular, Grounded Alternative: Meditation Without Metaphysics (01:17:35) Conclusion: What Meditation Really Is CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS ⏹ Factor: Head to…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Manson

Topics covered

Keywords

Sponsors

Factor, Shopify, Waking Up

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Purpose

Books & works: Meditation

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