Mindfulness training may boost immune responsivity in lonely older adults. In a trial of 190 adults aged 65–85, an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program led to greater increases in stimulated interleukin-6 production—a marker of innate immune function—compared to a control health program. The effect was seen immediately after the intervention and persisted at a 3-month follow-up. No adverse events occurred. The findings suggest that mindfulness training could help counteract age- and stress-related declines in immunocompetence, potentially reducing infection risk and improving recovery.
Mindfulness meditation has become widely used for stress, depression, substance abuse, and chronic pain, but reports have raised concerns about adverse events such as anxiety, pain, and even psychosis. This viewpoint argues that common emotional or physical reactions during meditation are not true adverse events but expected parts of the process. More severe outcomes like psychosis are confounded by factors such as practice intensity, psychological stressors, and psychiatric history. Programs like MBSR and MBCT are shorter and less intense, designed to avoid inducing pain or panic. The authors urge consistent use of a definition of adverse events limited to severe outcomes or hospitalization.
Experienced meditators outperformed meditation-naïve subjects in one-dimensional and two-dimensional cursor control tasks using a sensorimotor rhythm-based brain–computer interface. Fewer meditators were classified as BCI inefficient. Meditators also showed a higher resting SMR predictor, more stable resting mu rhythm, and larger control signal contrast during the task, suggesting that meditation training may enhance BCI performance.