Exploration of psychological mechanisms of the reduced stress response in long-term meditation practitioners.
Liudmila Gamaiunova, Pierre-Yves Brandt, Guido Bondolfi, Matthias Kliegel
Psychoneuroendocrinology February 26, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.026 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational comparative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 55 |
| Population | Long-term meditation practitioners (N=29) and age- and sex-matched meditation-naive controls (N=26) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Saliva Humans Hydrocortisone Stress, psychological Affect Heart rate Adult Middle aged Female Emotional regulation Emotion regulation Tsst Cognitive appraisals Self-conscious emotions Contemplative practices |
| Key findings | Long-term meditation practitioners had faster cortisol recovery from stress and reported less shame and higher self-esteem after social-evaluative threat than meditation-naive controls. They also scored higher on adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, including acceptance and positive reappraisal, and lower on maladaptive ones such as catastrophizing. Acceptance mediated the relationship between meditation practice and cortisol recovery, suggesting a pathway for meditation's stress-related benefits. |
Abstract
Previous research links contemplative practices, such as meditation, with stress reduction. However, little is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study compares the physiological stress response (reactivity and recovery) measured by changes in salivary cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability, and the associated stress-related ratings in long-term meditation practitioners (N = 29) and age- and sex- matched meditation naïve controls (N = 26). The participants were administered the Trier Social Stress Test in its active and placebo versions. The results demonstrated that long-term meditation practitioners had faster cortisol recovery from stress, and experienced less shame and higher self-esteem after the exposure to social-evaluative threat. In addition, long-term meditation practitioners scored higher on adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, such as acceptance and positive reappraisal, and lower on maladaptive ones, such as catastrophizing. The cognitive emotion regulation strategy of acceptance mediated the relationship between meditation practice and cortisol recovery. These results suggest that meditation practice is associated with faster recovery from stress due to the employment of adaptive emotion regulation strategy of acceptance, delineating a pathway underlying the positive effects of meditation on stress.
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 17
- A Framework for the Empirical Investigation of Mindfulness Meditative Development Mindfulness April 13, 2023
- Contemplative Training and Psychological Stress: an Analysis of First-person Accounts Mindfulness June 5, 2021
- Decoding meditation mechanisms underlying brain preservation and psycho-affective health in older expert meditators and older meditation-naive participants. Scientific Reports November 27, 2024
- Barriers and Facilitators to Meditation: Empirical Research Qualitative OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine June 23, 2025
- How Meditation Promotes Well‐Being: Applying a Dual‐System Theory Social and Personality Psychology Compass February 1, 2025
and 12 more in the library
Cites 20
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- Can Meditation Slow Rate of Cellular Aging? Cognitive Stress, Mindfulness, and Telomeres Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences August 1, 2009
and 15 more in the library