Meditation and telomere length: a meta-analysis
Psychology and Health January 5, 2020 N. Schutte, J. Malouff, S. Keng
A meta-analysis of 11 studies (12 comparisons) found that individuals who meditate have longer telomeres than control participants, with an overall weighted effect size of g = .40. After removing an outlier, the effect shrank to g = .16. More hours of meditation were associated with larger effects. The authors conclude that these findings provide tentative support for the hypothesis that meditation is linked to longer telomeres and that greater practice time may strengthen the association, suggesting meditation-based interventions could prevent telomere shortening or lengthen telomeres.