Resilience among meditators and non-meditators: a matched sample study
Mia J. Wild, Oleg N. Medvedev
Mental Health, Religion & Culture September 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2025.2584200 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional comparison study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 188 |
| Population | 94 long-term meditators and 94 non-meditators matched by age and sex |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Duration | Meditation practice for over a year |
| Key findings | Long-term meditators scored significantly higher than matched non-meditators on overall resilience, with moderate to large effect sizes, and higher on 18 of 25 resilience-related factors, especially determination, trustworthiness, and seeing multiple solutions. Session duration had no significant effect, and self-trust, self-reliance, existential purpose, and emotional regulation appeared similar across groups. |
Abstract
In daily life, resilience helps us bounce back from challenges, staying strong in both mind and body. Yet, many attempts to strengthen resilience have had limited success. We explored whether practicing meditation for over a year might lead to higher resilience by comparing 94 long-term meditators with an equal number of non-meditators, matched by age and sex. We found that the meditators scored significantly higher in overall resilience, with moderate to large effect sizes, while the overall duration of each meditation sessions had no significant effect on resilience. Out of 25 resilience-related factors, meditators scored higher on 18, especially in determination, trustworthiness, and the ability to see multiple solutions to problems. However, areas like self-trust, self-reliance, existential purpose, and emotional regulation appeared similar in both groups. Overall, these findings suggest that long-term meditation may be a powerful way to nurture specific aspects of resilience, offering new directions for psychological support.
Citations in the library
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