From the Guidelines
Meditation is likely to improve cognitive function, as evidenced by recent studies showing its positive effects on cognition, well-being, and health in older age. According to a 2021 study published in Alzheimer's and Dementia 1, meditation training programs have been shown to improve cognition, well-being, and health in older age and may contribute to delaying the onset of dementia. The potential mechanisms underlying the effect of meditation include effects on inflammation, stress and emotion regulation, brain microstructure and/or macroscopic brain structure, brain glucose metabolism and brain connectivity, and effects on telomere length and telomerase activity.
Key Findings
- Meditation has been shown to improve attention, working memory, and executive function 1
- Regular meditation practice, typically 10-20 minutes daily for at least 8 weeks, can enhance cognitive function 1
- Mindfulness meditation, focused attention meditation, and transcendental meditation are common effective forms of meditation 1
- Meditation appears to work by strengthening neural connections in areas responsible for attention and self-regulation, reducing stress hormones that impair cognition, and increasing gray matter density in regions associated with learning and memory 1
Recommendations
- Start with shorter meditation sessions (5 minutes) and gradually increase duration 1
- Find a quiet space, sit comfortably, focus on your breath or a mantra, and gently return your attention when it wanders 1
- Be patient and consistent with meditation practice, as cognitive benefits typically develop gradually rather than immediately 1
While another study published in 2018 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1 found that mindfulness-based interventions, which often include meditation, can promote psychological well-being and support cardiovascular health, the most recent and highest-quality study 1 provides the strongest evidence for the cognitive benefits of meditation. Therefore, meditation is a recommended practice for improving cognitive function, particularly in older adults.
From the Research
Cognitive Function Improvement
- Meditation has been shown to improve cognitive function in various studies, with effects on attentional functioning, memory, executive functioning, and higher-order functions 2.
- A meta-analysis found a small effect of mindfulness induction on cognition across all cognitive domains, with a significant effect in higher-order cognitive functions 2.
- Meditation has been found to offset age-related cognitive decline, with preliminary positive effects on attention, memory, executive function, processing speed, and general cognition 3.
Specific Cognitive Benefits
- Loving-kindness meditation has been shown to improve sustained attention, with significant decreases in response time and pulse pressure, as well as changes in hemodynamic measures 4.
- Mindfulness practice has been found to improve cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, with significant improvements in cognitive function and trait mindfulness 5.
- Yoga, which often includes meditation, has been found to have cognitive and immunological effects, with improvements in subjective cognitive impairment measures and alterations in aging-associated signatures 6.