Meditation trials in employees favored mental health outcomes; physical markers remained uncertain
A review found improvements in several mental health outcomes, while measured cardiometabolic markers showed no statistically significant differences. Evidence quality varied substantially.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
This abstract-based review found statistically significant improvements in employee stress, distress, anxiety, depression, well-being, resilience and sleep with meditation interventions. It did not find statistically significant differences in the measured cardiometabolic markers. The evidence supports cautious interpretation of the mental health findings, while leaving uncertainty about physical markers and how dependable most reported effects are.
The review flagged moderate to substantial variation between studies, high risk of bias and limited research on cardiometabolic markers. Evidence certainty was moderate for well-being and sleep, but low to very low for all other outcomes.
What the review covered
The interventions mainly involved mindfulness or Transcendental Meditation. Researchers assessed mental health alongside blood pressure, cortisol, heart rate variability and inflammatory markers. Those physical markers did not show statistically significant differences.
What follow-up adds
Most effects persisted at follow-ups within 3 months. Perceived stress, distress and well-being also showed sustained effects at longer follow-up. The abstract does not specify those longer timeframes or how results varied across different employee groups.
The original publication
Meditation and workplace health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of mental and cardiometabolic outcomes among employees.
Khanal MK, Saunders P, Nguyen K et al.
Health Psychol Rev · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41987765
- Record checked
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