The correlation between the subjective well-being and the effect of mindfulness meditation on telomere length―experimental research on male adults

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of mindfulness meditation on psychological and physical health in male adults. The study sample consisted of 28 healthy male adults who were divided into two groups the experimental group (n = 15, “MM group”) performed mindfulness meditation daily and the control group (n= 13)continued their usual lifestyle without meditation. Telomere length of oral mucosal cells was measured before and after the experiments. Stress and subjective well-being were assessed using the Stress Response Scale-18(SRS-18)and the Subjective Well-being Inventory (WHO SUBI).According to the results, the MM group had significantly longer telomeres (p< 0.05), lower total scores on the SRS-18 (p< 0.05), and higher mean difference scores on the WHO SUBI (p< 0.05)after the experiment compared to the control group. Statistical analysis performed using BellCurve for Excel revealed that these differences were statistically significant. The study findings suggest that daily and consistent practice of mindfulness meditation was effective in delaying the shortening rate of telomere length in oral mucosal cells, reducing perceived psychological stress, and improving subjective wellbeing.