Meditation News and Research

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The term meditation refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention. Most of them are rooted in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years.

Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings as a form of mind-body medicine. Many claims have been made about its value in promoting or improving health and wellness.

Burnout crisis demands science-based strategies beyond self-care solutions

Burnout is at an all-time high, with some studies saying two-thirds of employees now cite job burnout as a major challenge.

18 Mar 2026

An Arm and a Leg: Personal finance guru faces down an insurance denial

Less than 36 hours before his wife was scheduled to undergo major surgery, New York Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber got an unwelcome letter from his family's insurance plan: It was denying prior authorization for the procedure.

19 Feb 2026

Gut problems may shape Parkinson’s disease progression through the gut-brain axis

This narrative review examines how gastrointestinal dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, and altered gut-brain axis signaling are closely associated with the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease. It synthesizes evidence supporting a possible bottom-up disease model while highlighting integrative, gut-targeted strategies as adjuncts to symptom management rather than proven disease-modifying therapies.

27 Jan 2026

Rhythmic carbon dioxide exposure may enhance brain waste clearance mechanisms

Abnormal clumps of proteins like α-synuclein, amyloid beta and tau are associated with neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, but a waste removal mechanism called the glymphatic pathway can clear these proteins and other metabolic byproducts from the brain.

20 Jan 2026

New research compares different wellbeing-focused interventions delivered to adults

As another new year gets under way many of us will be looking for a way of boosting how we feel but is it better to hit the gym or mediate in nature? Now new research by Swansea experts has provided the largest ever comparison of wellbeing-focused interventions delivered to adults.

16 Jan 2026

Homer1 gene plays a critical role in shaping attention

Attention disorders such as ADHD involve a breakdown in our ability to separate signal from noise. The brain is constantly bombarded with information, and focus depends on its ability to filter out distractions and detect what matters.

22 Dec 2025

Study: PTSD treatment dropout rates vary widely

About a quarter of U.S. service members and veterans who start psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder quit before they finish treatment. But not all therapies are equal in their appeal, with some effective approaches reporting the highest dropout rates, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

17 Nov 2025

Intensive mind-body retreat rapidly alters brain function and blood biology

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have found that an intensive retreat combining multiple mind-body techniques, including meditation and healing practices, produced rapid and wide-ranging changes in brain function and blood biology.

6 Nov 2025

Psilocybin and mindfulness offer new hope for depressive healthcare workers

Frontline healthcare workers struggling with depression after the COVID-19 pandemic experienced significant relief from a treatment combining psilocybin group therapy with mindfulness training, according to a new study from Huntsman Mental Health Institute at University of Utah Health.

23 Oct 2025

Watching short inspirational videos provides stress relief just like meditation

Watching short inspirational videos may be just as effective at reducing stress as meditation, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

9 Oct 2025

New brain circuit discovery offers hope for chronic pain relief

Acute or short-lived pain, despite its bad reputation, is usually a lifesaver. It acts as a transient negative sensory experience that helps us avoid danger.

8 Oct 2025

Brain stimulation may help people with multiple sclerosis cut back on excessive cannabis use

A noninvasive device that delivers weak electrical currents to the brain may help those with multiple sclerosis cut back on excessive cannabis use, a new NYU Langone Health study of women with the condition shows.

7 Oct 2025

Exercise beats yoga for improving heart and blood vessel health

Researchers compare the effects of physical exercise and yoga on cardiovascular function.

7 Oct 2025

Mindfulness meditation may help treat people with depression and Internet gaming disorder

Mindfulness meditation may help people struggling with concurrent depression and Internet gaming disorder, according to a study. Guang-Heng Dong and colleagues treated 59 people with depression and Internet gaming disorder (IGD)-which is characterized by excessive and dysregulated video game playing.

23 Sep 2025

Psychological distress after a heart attack emerges as a critical risk factor for heart health

Many people experience one or more types of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, psychosocial stress or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), after a heart attack, which can affect their physical recovery and long-term heart health, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, published today in the American Heart Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

22 Sep 2025

Binge drinking mixed with cannabis tied to greater negative consequences

A new longitudinal study led by York University's Department of Psychology published today finds that young adults experiencing periods of high stress, anxiety and depressed mood more frequently combined binge drinking with cannabis use in order to get more high and drunk, and were also likely to report more adverse life consequences when combining these substances.

9 Sep 2025

New 2025 guidelines focus on early intervention and lifestyle to manage high blood pressure

Preventing and managing high blood pressure with healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as following a heart-healthy diet including reducing salt intake, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and managing stress—combined with early treatment with medication to lower blood pressure if necessary—are recommended to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, cognitive decline and dementia, according to a new clinical guideline published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed journals Circulation and Hypertension, and in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

14 Aug 2025

Challenges and promise of meditation apps in modern mental health care

Do you have a meditation app on your smartphone, computer or wearable device? Well, you're not alone.

8 Aug 2025

Vagus nerve stimulation enhances the effects of compassion meditation training

Stimulating the vagus nerve with a device attached to the outer ear can help make compassion meditation training more effective at boosting people's capacity for self-kindness and mindfulness, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

5 Aug 2025

Spending even a short time in nature provides mental health benefits for city dwellers

As the proportion of the global population living in cities rises to 70% by 2050, mental health challenges more common in urbanites – such as anxiety and mood disorders – become even more broadly relevant.

4 Aug 2025