Studies on Meditation.

According to research, meditation shows promise as a treatment for pain relief, anxiety and other health conditions. Learn more in this overview of the best meditation research studies.

Meditation has been used by people for thousands of years as a way to calm thoughts, control emotions and seek spiritual enlightenment. Until relatively recently, though, little was known about how meditation actually worked. Through hundreds of studies worldwide, researchers have found scientific evidence that meditation may be even more beneficial than previously thought. We highlight some of the most promising research below.

Meditation for Anxiety

Anxiety can have crippling symptoms for sufferers, including irritability, worry and even physical issues such as heart palpitations. Several studies suggest that meditation can decrease anxiety symptoms, particularly for people with debilitating levels of generalized anxiety disorder.

In one study, researchers wanted to study a group of 276 people who suffered from currently untreated anxiety disorders, such as social anxiety, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. They split the group into two and gave one half a low starting dose of Lexapro, a drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety.

The other group was assigned to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction classes for two and a half hours every week for a total of eight weeks. The program also included 45 minutes of daily meditation assignments, plus a day-long retreat in week five or six.

At the end of the study, both groups showed a 20% reduction in severity of their anxiety symptoms. This indicates that meditation, when used regularly, has an effectiveness similar to that of prescription anxiety medications.

Meditation for Improved Focus

Meditation has also been proven as a helpful tool for people who want to learn how to control their attention and shut out distracting thoughts.

One meta-analysis of 23 studies found that people who meditate regularly are able to keep the same level of focus for a long period of time. Several other studies found that after meditating, participants were able to complete brain teasers, puzzles, and other mind-bending tasks while filtering out distracting stimuli.

For example, one experiment involved showing study participants pairs of photos in quick succession. People who meditated had little trouble picking out details and differences between the photos compared to the control group, which missed more details.

Meditation for Pain Relief

Many people rely on prescription drugs and over-the-counter remedies for pain relief. But research suggests that meditation can ease some types of pain naturally, making it an appealing option for anyone who wants to cut back on their medication intake.

Several studies have shown that people who meditate have lowered activity in the insula, which is the part of the brain that controls the perception of pain.

In yet another study, participants who took Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction classes showed lower levels of pain and improved quality of life after completing the program. Even more impressive, participants showed the same results after a three-year follow up survey.

People who meditate have reported less pain caused by migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis and other chronic conditions. Meditation works not by reducing physical symptoms, but by increasing pain tolerance and changing the way people perceive and react to pain.

Meditation for High Blood Pressure

People who have high blood pressure suffer from an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and other cardiac-related health problems. Their hearts work harder to pump blood, which weakens and narrows arteries over time.

One meta-analysis of 12 studies including more than 1,000 people found that meditation could lower blood pressure, especially in older adults and people with high levels of hypertension. When practiced regularly, meditation relaxes nerve signals that are responsible for coordinating blood vessel tension, heart function, and the "fight-or-flight" stress response.

Meditation for Addiction

Addictions to drugs, alcohol and even food can be hard for most people to overcome on their own. With the help of meditation, though, it's possible to better manage impulses, increase self-control and improve awareness for addictive behavior triggers.

One review of 14 studies discovered that mindfulness meditation helped participants curb their binge eating habits. Another study followed 60 participants with alcohol use disorder. The study found that meditation led to lower levels of psychological distress, alcohol use and cravings after three months of transcendental meditation.

Meditation for Positivity

Several research programs have looked into metta, also called loving-kindness meditation, which focuses on fostering positive thoughts and feelings toward oneself and others. Practitioners first learn to forgive themselves, then gradually extend forgiveness to other people.

A study that followed 50 participants found that practicing loving-kindness meditation three times weekly for four weeks led to improved interpersonal relations, positive emotions and understanding of others. These results track with those from other studies, showing that the longer people participate in loving-kindness meditation, the more pronounced their results will likely be.

Meditation for Age-Related Memory Loss

Memory diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer's, commonly affect older adults. Studies have suggested that meditation can somewhat slow memory loss in seniors with dementia.

Research is also promising for Kirtan Kriya, which is a type of meditation that combines repetitive finger movements with chanting to help focus thoughts. Elderly people who suffer from age-related memory loss have been shown to see improvements in attention and mental clarity according to neuropsychological tests.