Meditation and Psychological Well-being in Seniors

A recent study examined the improvement in psychological well-being in seniors who underwent an 18 month meditation program. They spent 9 months performing mindfulness meditation and a further 9 months doing loving-kindness meditation. The were compared to a control group who spent the same amount of time on English-language training. Significant improvements in the meditation group were found in measures of awareness, connection and insight, with no similar changes in the control group. Meditators with lower levels of psychological wellbeing at the start of the 9 months showed greater improvements than those who already had higher levels of wellbeing, so this is especially helpful for those who need it the most.