Meditation and workplace health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of mental and cardiometabolic outcomes among employees
Mahesh Kumar Khanal, Peter Saunders, Kathy Nguyen, Moza Al Hatmi, Hind Mohammed A. Asiri, Wejdan Shahin, Rebecca Millar, Leila Karimi, Barbora de Courten
Health Psychology Review April 16, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2026.2652892 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMeditation, particularly Mindfulness and Transcendental Meditation, improves employee mental health—reducing perceived stress, distress, job stress, anxiety, and depression while enhancing well-being, resilience, and sleep—according to a systematic review of 132 randomized controlled trials involving 23,080 participants. Most effects persisted at three-month follow-ups, and benefits for perceived stress, distress, and well-being lasted longer. However, meditation did not significantly affect blood pressure, cortisol, heart rate variability, or inflammatory markers. The evidence certainty was moderate for well-being and sleep but low to very low for other outcomes, and findings should be interpreted cautiously due to heterogeneity and risk of bias.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 23,080 |
| Population | Employees, primarily healthcare professionals and educators |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Duration | Within three-month follow-ups; long-term follow-up for some outcomes |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Transcendental meditation Psychological intervention Mental health Distress |
| Key finding | Meditation significantly improved mental health outcomes (stress, distress, anxiety, depression, well-being, resilience, sleep) but not cardiometabolic risk markers. |
Abstract
Employees are severely affected by psychological distress, poor cardiometabolic health, and reduced productivity. Meditation has emerged as a potential strategy to enhance overall health. This systematic review synthesised the effectiveness of meditation for improving employees’ mental health and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) markers across 132 randomised controlled trials (145 intervention groups and 23,080 participants). Most interventions were Mindfulness and Transcendental Meditation, conducted in the USA, and targeting healthcare professionals and educators. Results showed that meditation significantly improved perceived stress (g = −0.51), distress (g = −0.49), job stress (g = −0.53), anxiety (g = −0.38), depression (g = −0.39), well-being (g = 0.41), resilience (g = 0.38), and sleep (g = −0.33), with most effects sustained within three-month follow-ups. Effects on perceived stress, distress, and well-being were sustained at long-term follow-up. Interventions did not show statistically significant differences in blood pressure, cortisol level, heart rate variability, or inflammatory markers. The findings require cautious interpretation due to moderate-to-substantial heterogeneity, high risk of bias, and limited CMR marker studies. The evidence certainty was moderate for well-being and sleep, and low to very low for the remaining outcomes.