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Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators
Abstract
Background Telomerase activity is a predictor of long-term cellular viability, which decreases with chronic psychological distress (Epel et al., 2004). Buddhist traditions claim that meditation decreases psychological distress and promotes well-being (e.g., Dalai Lama and Cutler, 2009). Therefore, we investigated the effects of a 3-month meditation retreat on telomerase activity and two major contributors to the experience of stress: Perceived Control (associated with decreased stress) and Neuroticism (associated with increased subjective distress). We used mediation models to test whether changes in Perceived Control and Neuroticism explained meditation retreat effects on telomerase activity. In addition, we investigated whether two qualities developed by meditative practice, increased Mindfulness and Purpose in Life, accounted for retreat-related changes in the two stress-related variables and in telomerase activity.Methods Retreat participants (n=30) meditated for ∼6 h daily for 3 months and were compared with a wait-list control group (n=30) matched for age, sex, body mass index, and prior meditation experience. Retreat participants received instruction in concentrative meditation techniques and complementary practices used to cultivate benevolent states of mind (Wallace, 2006). Psychological measures were assessed pre- and post-retreat. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples were collected post-retreat for telomerase activity. Because there were clear, a priori hypotheses, 1-tailed significance criteria were used throughout.Results Telomerase activity was significantly greater in retreat participants than in controls at the end of the retreat (p<0.05). Increases in Perceived Control, decreases in Neuroticism, and increases in both Mindfulness and Purpose in Life were greater in the retreat group (p<0.01). Mediation analyses indicated that the effect of the retreat on telomerase was mediated by increased Perceived Control and decreased Neuroticism. In turn, changes in Perceived Control and Neuroticism were both partially mediated by increased Mindfulness and Purpose in Life. Additionally, increases in Purpose in Life directly mediated the telomerase group difference, whereas increases in Mindfulness did not.Conclusions This is the first study to link meditation and positive psychological change with telomerase activity. Although we did not measure baseline telomerase activity, the data suggest that increases in perceived control and decreases in negative affectivity contributed to an increase in telomerase activity, with implications for telomere length and immune cell longevity. Further, Purpose in Life is influenced by meditative practice and directly affects both perceived control and negative emotionality, affecting telomerase activity directly as well as indirectly.
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“A few reports demonstrated that meditation practice was associated with increased telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.33”
From Biological mechanism study of meditation and its application in mental disorders (2020) · cites this paper as [33]
In the citing paper
“Nonetheless, several studies reported “dose-response” relationships, with greater improvement in mental well-being or sense of purpose in life or greater adherence to the behavioral intervention, associating with larger increases in PBMC basal TA (Epel, 2012; Jacobs et al., 2011).”
From Psychiatric disorders and leukocyte telomere length: Underlying mechanisms linking mental illness with cellular aging (2015) · cites this paper as Jacobs et al., 2011
In the citing paper
“Jacobs et al., (2011) found that retreat participants, meditating for 6 hours daily for 3 months, had greater PBMC basal TA at the end of the three months than did a waitlist control group.”
From Psychiatric disorders and leukocyte telomere length: Underlying mechanisms linking mental illness with cellular aging (2015) · cites this paper as Jacobs et al., 2011
In the citing paper
“A caveat when interpreting that study, however, is that pre-test PBMC basal TA measures were not available for the meditation group, thus the analyses relied on cross-sectional post-meditation data only (Jacobs et al., 2011).”
From Psychiatric disorders and leukocyte telomere length: Underlying mechanisms linking mental illness with cellular aging (2015) · cites this paper as Jacobs et al., 2011
In the citing paper
“These studies have generally found intervention-associated increases in PBMC basal TA (Epel, 2012; Epel et al., 2009b; Epel, 2009; Jacobs et al., 2011; Lengacher et al., 2014; Ornish et al., 2008; Schutte and Malouff, 2014b; Starkweather et al., 2014).”
From Psychiatric disorders and leukocyte telomere length: Underlying mechanisms linking mental illness with cellular aging (2015) · cites this paper as Jacobs et al., 2011
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“…and lifestyle intervention studies suggest that on average, we can increase the total telomerase activity measured in circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells – although it is unclear whether this is per cell or due to redistribution of cells (Jacobs et al., 2011; Ornish et al., 2008).”
BackgroundSelf-citationMeditation retreats: Spiritual tourism well-being interventions
Norman, A., & Pokorny, J. J. (2017) · Tourism Management Perspectives · doi:10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.012 · Cited by 92
“…et al., 2003), stress (Shapiro, Schwartz, & Bonner, 1998), attention (Lutz, Slagter, Dunne, & Davidson, 2008), working memory (Jha, Stanley, Kiyonaga, Wong, & Gelfand, 2010), immune cell telomerase activity (Jacobs et al., 2011), and improved socioemotional functioning (Sahdra et al., 2011).”
Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes
Epel, E. S., Puterman, E., Lin, J., Blackburn, E. H., Lum, P. Y., Beckmann, N. D., Zhu, J., Lee, E., Gilbert, A., Rissman, R. A., et al. (2016) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2016.164 · Cited by 105
Self-citationHow “reversible” is telomeric aging?
Epel, E. (2012) · Cancer Prevention Research · doi:10.1158/1940-6207.capr-12-0370 · Cited by 103
“Finally, a 3-month trial of intensive concentrative and compassion-oriented meditation found30%significantly higher telomerase activity as compared with the waitlist control group (28).”
BackgroundHo, R. T. H., Chan, J. S. M., Wang, C.-W., Lau, B. W. M., So, K. F., Yuen, L. P., Sham, J. S. T., & Chan, C. L. W. (2012) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-012-9381-6 · Cited by 103
“In a recent randomized controlled trial [44] of intensive meditation training among 60 healthy subjects, 46 (20 meditation retreat participants and 26 controls) participated in telomerase activity assessment and the results suggested greater telomerase activity in the retreat participants than in the control group aft…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialMindfulness training and the cultivation of secure, satisfying couple relationships.
Atkinson, B. J. (2013) · Couple and Family Psychology Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/cfp0000002 · Cited by 117
“…pressure and cortisol levels (Carlson, Speca, Faris, & Patel, 2007), improving immune function (Carlson et al., 2007; Davidson et al., 2003), promoting resolution of psoriatic lesions in patients with psoriasis (Kabat-Zinn et al., 1998), and increasing telomerase activity (Jacobs et al., 2011).”
Harley, C. B., Liu, W., Flom, P. L., & Raffaele, J. M. (2013) · Rejuvenation Research · doi:10.1089/rej.2013.1430 · Cited by 102
Chu, S. T.-W., & Mak, W. W. S. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-019-01258-9 · Cited by 99
Bushell, W. C., Castle, R. D., Williams, M. A., Brouwer, K., Tanzi, R., Chopra, D., & Mills, P. (2020) · Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/acm.2020.0177 · Cited by 78
Telomerase and telomeres in aging theory and chronographic aging theory (Review)
Razgonova, M., Zakharenko, A., Golokhvast, K., Thanasoula, M., Sarandi, E., Nikolouzakis, K., Fragkiadaki, P., Tsoukalas, D., Spandidos, D., & Tsatsakis, A. (2020) · Molecular Medicine Reports · doi:10.3892/mmr.2020.11274 · Cited by 89
Telomere attrition and diabetes mellitus
Tamura, Y., Takubo, K., Aida, J., Araki, A., & Ito, H. (2016) · Geriatrics and gerontology international/Geriatrics & gerontology international · doi:10.1111/ggi.12738 · Cited by 98
Larouche, E., Hudon, C., & Goulet, S. (2015) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.05.058 · Cited by 93
A Meta-Analytic Review of Interventions That Promote Meaning in Life
Manco, N., & Hamby, S. L. (2021) · American Journal of Health Promotion · doi:10.1177/0890117121995736 · Cited by 106
“…Active Breast cancer survivors and their partners 80 Ivtzan et al. 2018 Mindfulness Passive Hong Kong Chinese and British participants 79 Jacobs et al. 2011 Mindfulness Passive Participants submitted applications that were screened 60 Lan et al. 2018 Narrative Active Older adults with…”
Stress and immunosenescence: The role of telomerase
de Punder, K., Heim, C. C., Wadhwa, P. D., & Entringer, S. (2018) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.019 · Cited by 95
Nguyen, K. D. L., Lin, J., Algoe, S. B., Brantley, M. M., Kim, S. L., Brantley, J. G., Salzberg, S., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2019) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.05.020 · Cited by 94
Self-citationAmutio, A., García‐Campayo, J., Delgado, L., Hermosilla, D., & Martínez-Taboada, C. (2017) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm6030033 · Cited by 90
Be(com)ing Real: a Multi-source and an Intervention Study on Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership
Nübold, A., Quaquebeke, N. V., & Hulsheger, U. R. (2019) · Journal of Business and Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10869-019-09633-y · Cited by 96
Connecting Mindfulness and Meaning in Life: Exploring the Role of Authenticity
Allan, B. A., Bott, E. M., & Suh, H. (2014) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-014-0341-z · Cited by 99
Zen meditation, Length of Telomeres, and the Role of Experiential Avoidance and Compassion
Alda, M., Puebla‐Guedea, M., Rodero, B., Demarzo, M., Montero‐Marín, J., Roca, M., & García‐Campayo, J. (2016) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0500-5 · Cited by 93
Gallegos, A. M., Hoerger, M. P., Talbot, N. L., Krasner, M. S., Knight, J. M., Moynihan, J. A., & Duberstein, P. R. (2013) · The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/acm.2012.0028 · Cited by 88
Being mindful at work and at home: Buffering effects in the stressor–detachment model
Haun, V. C., Nübold, A., & Bauer, A. G. (2018) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12200 · Cited by 94
“Research has found some support for the idea that meditation training (Jacobs et al., 2011) and resource-oriented interventions (e.g., Clauss et al., 2016) are most effective for employees with low baseline levels in mindfulness and a high need for recovery, respectively.”
BackgroundGazzaniga, F. S., & Blackburn, E. H. (2014) · Blood · doi:10.1182/blood-2014-06-582254 · Cited by 85
Self-citationExploring age‐related brain degeneration in meditation practitioners
Luders, E. (2014) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/nyas.12217 · Cited by 79
Cheng, G. L. F., Zeng, H., Leung, M.-K., Zhang, H.-J., Lau, B. W.-M., Liu, Y.-P., Liu, G.-X., Sham, P. C., Chan, C. C. H., So, K., et al. (2013) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2013.36 · Cited by 81
“It was also reported that mentally enhancing activities, such as meditation, could elevate telomerase activity.(18) Although these studies seemingly disagreed about whether a pathological state increases or decreases activity levels of telomerase, they need not be incompatible with each other.”
BackgroundMindfulness, Construction of Meaning, and Sustainable Food Consumption
Hunecke, M., & Richter, N. (2018) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0986-0 · Cited by 97
Wandering Minds and Aging Cells
Epel, E. S., Puterman, E. M., Lin, J., Blackburn, E. H., Lazaro, A., & Mendes, W. B. (2012) · Clinical Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/2167702612460234 · Cited by 81
“Brief training in a yogic meditation over 4 months and intensive meditation over 3 months were both associated with higher telomerase activity (Jacobs et al., 2011; Lavretsky et al., 2012).”
BackgroundSelf-citationTelomeres, Nutrition, and Longevity: Can We Really Navigate Our Aging?
Vidaček, N. Š., Nanić, L., Ravlić, S., Sopta, M., Gerić, M., Gajski, G., Garaj‐Vrhovac, V., & Rubelj, I. (2017) · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · doi:10.1093/gerona/glx082 · Cited by 80
“Weak points in this study are the absence of a baseline measure of telomerase activity, relatively small sample size, and the control condition that did not match the experimental condition such that the control group was not spared from the stresses of everyday life (96).”
Epigenetic clock analysis in long-term meditators
Chaix, R., Alvarez-López, M. J., Fagny, M., Lemee, L., Regnault, B., Davidson, R. J., Lutz, A., & Kaliman, P. (2017) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.016 · Cited by 77
“, 2016), the increase in telomerase activity after a 3 months meditation retreat (Jacobs et al., 2011), a yogic meditation training (Lavretsky et al.”
BackgroundMindfulness and intergroup bias: A systematic review
Oyler, D. L., Price‐Blackshear, M. A., Pratscher, S. D., & Bettencourt, B. A. (2021) · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations · doi:10.1177/1368430220978694 · Cited by 84
“MBIs typically involve 8 weeks of training but vary in length from 3 days (e.g., Rahl et al., 2017) to 12 weeks (e.g., Jacobs et al., 2011; Mrazek et al., 2013).”
BackgroundA common factors perspective on mindfulness-based interventions
Goldberg, S. B. (2022) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-022-00090-8 · Cited by 75
Crego, A., Bernabé, J. R. Y., Martínez, M. Á. G., Riesco-Matías, P., & Petisco, C. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18030925 · Cited by 93
“Higher levels of purpose in life could be even connected to better physical health outcomes, through enhanced functioning of physiological systems [23,35].”
BackgroundMeditation, stress processes, and telomere biology
Conklin, Q. A., Crosswell, A. D., Saron, C. D., & Epel, E. S. (2019) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.11.009 · Cited by 69
“Another study found that increases in perceived control and purpose in life, and decreases in neuroticism, were associated with higher levels of TA following an intensive retreat [17].”
Self-citationTelomerase activation: A potential key modulator for human healthspan and longevity
Boccardi, V., & Paolisso, G. (2014) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2013.12.006 · Cited by 70
Bernabé, J. R. Y., Crego, A., Martínez, M. Á. G., & Jiménez, L. (2020) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.22932 · Cited by 80
“Our results are consistent with previous research linking meditation to self‐compassion and meaningfulness (Bloch et al., 2017; Ferrari et al., 2019; Jacobs et al., 2011; Wilson et al., 2018), and contributes by highlighting the relevance of experiential avoidance (Hayes et al.”
ResultMontero‐Marín, J., Puebla‐Guedea, M., Herrera‐Mercadal, P., Cebolla, A., Soler, J., Demarzo, M., Vázquez, C., Rodríguez-Bornaetxea, F., & García‐Campayo, J. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01935 · Cited by 78
Tomfohr, L. M., Pung, M. A., Mills, P. J., & Edwards, K. (2015) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-014-9575-4 · Cited by 67
Conklin, Q. A., King, B. G., Zanesco, A. P., Lin, J., Hamidi, A. B., Pokorny, J. J., Álvarez-López, M. J., Cosín-Tomás, M., Huang, C., Kaliman, P., et al. (2018) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2018.03.003 · Cited by 66
“Unfortunately, because TA was only measured at the end of retreat, this study was unable to rule out pre-existing group differences or to determine if TA increased over the course of the intervention (Jacobs et al., 2011).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Jacobs, T. L., Epel, E. S., Lin, J., Blackburn, E. H., Wolkowitz, O. M., Bridwell, D. A., Zanesco, A. P., Aichele, S. R., Sahdra, B. K., MacLean, K. A., King, B. G., Shaver, P. R., Rosenberg, E. L., Ferrer, E., Wallace, B. A., & Saron, C. D.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
- University of California Davis Medical Center (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-06
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 664-681
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2098489144
- Cited by
- 432
- References
- 116
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 27.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Mind and Life Institute
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Keywords
- meditation retreats, telomerase activity, perceived control, neuroticism, mindfulness, meaning of life, stress, immune cells, telomere length, Buddhist meditation, meditation training, psychological distress, negative affectivity, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, cellular aging, positive psychology interventions, concentrative meditation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Anxiety, Female, Humans, Immune System, Male, Middle Aged, Physical Education and Training, Stress, Psychological, Treatment Outcome, Telomerase, Meditation, Young Adult
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