This useful activity can not only relieve anxiety and stress, but also slow down the aging of the body, – this is the conclusion of a team of psychologists, endocrinologists and biochemists at the Center for Brain Studies at the University of California (USA).
This useful activity can not only relieve anxiety and stress, but also slow down the aging of the body, – this is the conclusion of a team of psychologists, endocrinologists and biochemists at the Center for Brain Studies at the University of California (USA)*. Participants in the experiment retired to a quiet place and meditated for several hours a day for three months. And scientists monitored the activity of telomerase in their blood: this enzyme is the key to prolonging youth, it is its lack that leads to cellular aging. By the end of the experiment, telomerase activity in the participants increased significantly (as did mood). For those of us who cannot afford three months of solitary spiritual practice, an 11-hour introductory meditation course will also help – if not younger, then more flexible in responding to situations and controlling our emotions **.
* Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2011, vol. 36, № 5.
** Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010, vol. 107, № 35.