Meditation, stress processes, and telomere biology.


Author: Conklin QA1, Crosswell AD2, Saron CD3, Epel ES4

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>University of California, Davis, United States. Electronic address: qconklin@ucdavis.edu.

<sup>2</sup>University of California, San Francisco, United States.

<sup>3</sup>University of California, Davis, United States.

<sup>4</sup>University of California, San Francisco, United States. Electronic address: Elissa.Epel@ucsf.edu.
Conference/Journal: Curr Opin Psychol.
Date published: 2018 Nov 19
Other:
 Volume ID: 28   ,  Pages: 92-101   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.11.009. [Epub ahead of print]   ,  Word Count: 90  
    Both theoretical and empirical work support the notion that meditation training can improve telomere regulation, which may ultimately contribute to healthy aging. Yet, the psychological and biological mechanisms underlying these changes remain underspecified, as do the contexts and boundary conditions in which these changes occur. Here we summarize studies investigating the effects of various meditation-based interventions on telomere biology, making suggestions for future research. We then propose a model describing how meditation training may impact acute and habitual stress responses as pathways to improved cell aging.



PMID: 30553080  DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.11.009