Changes in peripheral oxytocin and vasopressin during a silent month-long Insight meditation retreat.
Quinn A Conklin, Anthony P Zanesco, Brandon G King, Elissa S Epel, Clifford D Saron
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1345527 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort with control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 62 |
| Population | Meditation retreat participants and controls similar in age, gender, and meditation experience |
| Intervention | silent meditation retreat |
| Duration | 3-week interval |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attachment style Oxytocin Prosociality Social interaction Vasopressin |
| Key findings | Meditation training during a silent residential retreat reduced plasma oxytocin levels, with greater reductions associated with higher openness to experience and lower oxytocin linked to stronger personal connection with fellow meditators. |
Abstract
Given its putative roles in mediating prosocial behavior, attachment bonds, and stress physiology, oxytocin modulation has been hypothesized to be a biological correlate of the salubrious effects of meditation practice. Here we investigated the effects of a month-long silent meditation retreat on changes in oxytocin, and the related hormone and vasopressin, in relation to psychosocial changes in attachment style, anxiety, personality measures, and feelings of social connectedness with fellow meditators. Plasma oxytocin and vasopressin and self-report questionnaires were measured in retreat participants (n = 28) at the beginning of, and 3 weeks into, a residential meditation retreat. Control participants (n = 34), who were similar in age, gender, and meditation experience, were also assessed across a 3-week interval. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess outcomes. The retreat group showed a small but significant decrease in oxytocin compared to controls who showed no change. In the retreat group, higher openness to experience at Time 1 predicted greater reductions in oxytocin during the retreat, and lower oxytocin at Time 2 was related to stronger feelings of personal connection with fellow meditators. The changes in oxytocin were not related to attachment style or anxiety. Vasopressin decreased over time across both groups, suggesting no specific effect of retreat. These preliminary findings suggest that meditation training in the context of a silent residential retreat may reduce circulating levels of oxytocin. We interpret this finding from multiple theoretical perspectives, discussing key measurement limitations and proposing future study designs that may help to differentiate the effects of different meditation practices and contexts on oxytocin signaling.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 1
Cites 17
- Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Psychoneuroendocrinology June 1, 2011
- Enhanced response inhibition during intensive meditation training predicts improvements in self-reported adaptive socioemotional functioning. Emotion April 1, 2011
- Effects of oxytocin administration on spirituality and emotional responses to meditation Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience June 17, 2016
- Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement remediates anhedonia in chronic opioid use by enhancing neurophysiological responses during savoring of natural rewards. Psychological Medicine April 1, 2023
- Modulation of Event-related Potentials of Visual Discrimination by Meditation Training and Sustained Attention. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience August 1, 2019
and 12 more in the library