Mind and behavior · 1 min read
A year and a half of meditation improved one part of well-being, not all of it
Among 134 healthy older adults, mindfulness improved compared with both groups, and connection only compared with English classes. Overall well-being showed no difference.
The study, in plain language
Sustaining a practice for a year and a half is different from trying an exercise for a few minutes. The Age-Well trial compared meditation training with English classes of similar duration and with taking part in no program among healthy older adults in France.
At the end, meditation favored a measure combining awareness, connection, and understanding of experience compared with the other two groups. The general psychological well-being scale showed no group differences, and the advantage in psychological quality of life did not hold after adjusting for multiple comparisons. What changed was a specific measure of contemplative well-being, not every scale.
The key idea
After a year and a half, meditation improved one measure of awareness, connection, and understanding, but not every well-being scale.
Something to think about
Well-being has several parts, and a long practice may shift one without shifting the others. Which part would you be interested in examining in your own life?
The original study
An 18-month meditation training selectively improves psychological well-being in older adults: A secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.