Meditation is linked to better mental health in older adults partly through fostering compassionate love. In a nationwide web-based survey of 1,861 participants, those who meditated reported significantly higher feelings of being loved. Greater feelings of love were associated with lower depressive symptoms and anxiety. Meditation had indirect effects on both depressive symptoms and anxiety through compassionate love. The findings suggest that contemplative practices that cultivate compassionate love may help improve mental health in later life.
A loving-kindness meditation (LKM) intervention was feasible and acceptable among socioeconomically diverse older adults. In a waiting list control design with 59 participants, 54 completed the intervention. All participants rated the practice as good or better. Acceptability scores averaged 16.8 out of a possible 4-20 range, and feasibility scores averaged 12.9 out of 3-15. Those who meditated daily reported reduced anxiety and enhanced self-awareness. The findings suggest that LKM is a promising practice for promoting self-compassion and reducing loneliness in older adults, though larger-scale studies with more music and silence are needed.
Older adults who practiced meditation reported significantly higher feelings of being loved, and those who experienced more love had lower symptoms of depression and anxiety. Compassionate love mediated the relationship between meditation and better mental health, suggesting that contemplative interventions fostering compassionate love may improve psychological well-being in later life.
A four-week mindfulness smartphone app based on acceptance and commitment therapy was tested with 23 college student military veterans. Participants reported high satisfaction and found the app easy to use. Significant improvements were observed in resilience, mindfulness, PTSD symptoms, experiential avoidance, and rumination. The findings suggest the app may be a feasible way to support mental health in this population, though a randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm effectiveness.