A Systematic Review of the Effects of Long-Term and Advanced Meditation on Well-Being, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Relationships
June 17, 2026 Terje Sparby, Vanessa Naughton, Batool Abbasi et al. preprint
Meditation research has focused mostly on short-term effects in beginners and mindfulness-based practices, leaving advanced and long-term meditation poorly understood. This systematic review of 52 studies found that long-term and advanced meditators show greater well-being, deeper relational attunement, and more refined emotional capacities than those with basic practice. These benefits appear tied to skill-based proficiency rather than simply how long someone has meditated. However, the field's reliance on time-based measures and tools unsuited for experienced practitioners may hide these deeper effects. Realizing meditation's full potential requires shifting research toward meditative skills, stages, and attainments.