Abstract
Background: Telomerase activity is a predictor of long-term cellular viability, which decreases with chronic psychological distress (Epel et al., 2004). Buddhist traditions claim that meditation decreases psychological distress and promotes well-being (e.g., Dalai Lama and Cutler, 2009). Therefore, we investigated the effects of a 3-month meditation retreat on telomerase activity and two major contributors to the experience of stress: Perceived Control (associated with decreased stress) and Neuroticism (associated with increased subjective distress). We used mediation models to test whether changes in Perceived Control and Neuroticism explained meditation retreat effects on telomerase activity. In addition, we investigated whether two qualities developed by meditative practice, increased Mindfulness and Purpose in Life, accounted for retreat-related changes in the two stress-related variables and in telomerase activity. Methods: Retreat participants (n= 30) meditated for ∼6 h daily for 3 months and were compared with a wait-list control group (n= 30) matched for age, sex, body mass index, and prior meditation experience. Retreat participants received instruction in concentrative meditation techniques and complementary practices used to cultivate benevolent states of mind (Wallace, 2006). Psychological measures were assessed pre- and post-retreat. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples were collected post-retreat for telomerase activity. Because there were clear, a priori hypotheses, 1-tailed significance criteria were used throughout. Results: Telomerase activity was significantly greater in retreat participants than in controls at the end of the retreat (p< 0.05). Increases in Perceived Control, decreases in Neuroticism, and increases in both Mindfulness and Purpose in Life were greater in the retreat group (p< 0.01). Mediation analyses indicated that the effect of the retreat on telomerase was mediated by increased Perceived Control and decreased Neuroticism. In turn, changes in Perceived Control and Neuroticism were both partially mediated by increased Mindfulness and Purpose in Life. Additionally, increases in Purpose in Life directly mediated the telomerase group difference, whereas increases in Mindfulness did not. Conclusions: This is the first study to link meditation and positive psychological change with telomerase activity. Although we did not measure baseline telomerase activity, the data suggest that increases in perceived control and decreases in negative affectivity contributed to an increase in telomerase activity, with implications for telomere length and immune cell longevity. Further, Purpose in Life is influenced by meditative practice and directly affects both perceived control and negative emotionality, affecting telomerase activity directly as well as indirectly.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 664-681 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2011 |
Funding
These data were collected as one part of The Shamatha Project, a large multimethod study investigating effects of intensive meditation training on cognition, emotion regulation, and physiological function. The Shamatha Project, in its entirety, was funded by Fetzer Institute Grant #2191 to Clifford D. Saron, and by gifts from the Hershey Family, Chade-Meng Tan, Yoga Research and Education, Mental Insight Foundations, the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, the Baumann Foundation the Barney and Barbo Fund, and anonymous and individual donors, all to Clifford D. Saron. The Shamatha Project was additionally supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to Baljinder K. Sahdra and a National Science Foundation predoctoral fellowship to Katherine A. MacLean. Sponsorship in the form of publicity for participant recruitment and discount services were provided by the Shambhala Mountain Center and in the form of an equipment loan by the Mind and Life Institute. With the exception of the Santa Barbara Institute, these funding sources and sponsors had no direct involvement in the present study design, data collection, data analysis, or the interpretation of findings and were not involved in writing up the present report or in the decision to present the paper for publication. Alan Wallace, President of the Santa Barbara Institute, contributed to subject selection and screening, instructed the retreat participants in meditation techniques for the entire 3 months, and clarified the conceptualization of traditional mindfulness within the written manuscript. He was not involved in data collection, analysis or interpretation of results of the study.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Baumann Foundation the Barney and Barbo Fund | |
| Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies | |
| National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science Program | |
| Fetzer Institute | 2191 |
| Fetzer Institute | |
| Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada |
Keywords
- Meditation
- Neuroticism
- Perceived control
- Purpose in life
- Stress
- Telomerase
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Endocrinology
- Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry
