0
0
According to a recent randomized controlled trial led by an international team co-directed by UCL, an 18-month meditation program holds promise in enhancing the well-being of older individuals. Published in PLOS ONE, the study discovered that meditation improved participants’ awareness, connection to others, and insight. However, it didn’t show significant benefits on commonly used measures of psychological well-being and quality of life, suggesting potential limitations in existing tracking methods.
Lead author Marco Schlosser emphasized the importance of understanding how to support older adults’ psychological well-being, especially with the global population aging. Their study aimed to test whether long-term meditation could enhance crucial aspects of well-being. While the research suggested that meditation could be a non-pharmacological means to support human flourishing in late life, it didn’t confer notable benefits on standard measures of psychological well-being and quality of life, hinting at potential gaps in current evaluation methods.
The trial, involving over 130 healthy French-speaking individuals aged 65 to 84, marked the longest randomized meditation training trial to date. It explored the impact of an 18-month meditation program on psychological well-being. Conducted in Caen, France, the study was part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020-funded Medit-Ageing (Silver Sante Study) research group, which included several institutions.
Comparing an 18-month meditation program—comprising mindfulness and loving-kindness modules—with English language training and a no-intervention control group, the research team found significant improvements in dimensions of awareness, connection, and insight among those who underwent meditation training. However, these benefits didn’t surpass those observed in the English language training group or significantly affect other measures of psychological well-being.
Notably, the study highlighted that individuals with lower initial levels of psychological well-being experienced more substantial improvements than those who began with higher levels. The researchers hope for further studies to identify specific groups that might benefit most from meditation training, aiming for more targeted and beneficial programs in partnership with experts from various disciplines.
Senior author Dr. Antoine Lutz stressed the potential of meditation programs in promoting holistic well-being among older adults, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond disease prevention towards comprehensive well-being support.
