Mindfulness in sports: a bibliometric analysis from 1995 to 2025

This study aimed to conduct an updated bibliometric analysis of mindfulness research in sports from inception to 2025 to capture the recent developmental trajectories. A targeted and refined search strategy was employed to retrieve domain-specific publications, while collaboration networks and keyword co-occurrence analyses were conducted to map the global research landscape and identify emerging themes. Bibliometric data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection. Analysis examined publication trends, productivity and collaboration patterns, influential references, and keyword distributions using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. A total of 241 articles were analysed, with the first identified publication in 1995, demonstrating sustained high output (>30 articles annually) since 2020. The USA maintained research leadership in publication volume, while European countries demonstrate strong scholarly impact, and Asian countries showed notable growth. Keyword co-occurrence analysis indicated that major research themes include “performance”, “flow”, and “anxiety”. Recent developments demonstrate a transition from performance-oriented investigations towards comprehensive athlete wellbeing. Collaboration network analysis further revealed that emerging research directions incorporating neuroscience methodologies represent a promising avenue for future inquiry. This refined bibliometric analysis identifies prospective research trajectories for mindfulness in sports. Specifically, it underscores the expansion of international cooperation and suggests a more pronounced focus on both mental health and neuroscience.