从端粒和端粒酶探析冥想对压力的缓解作用

The Mitigation of Meditation on Stress:Evidence from Telomeres and Telomerase

冥想是一种维持自我注意的身心调节技术,是缓解因压力所致的抑郁、焦虑等消极情绪的有效方法。端粒是维持染色体稳定和完整的DNA片段,大量有关冥想对端粒及端粒酶活性影响的研究阐明,通常情况下压力人群经过冥想训练能提高端粒长度并增加端粒酶活性,这种改变与压力缓解密切相关。这一积极效果主要得益于皮质醇和炎症等生物因素及心理和环境等非生物因素。未来可以通过对比不同冥想练习的效果、增加追踪研究、多学科联合及扩大样本等找到最有利于提高端粒长度和端粒酶活性的冥想方式。

Previous studies have confirmed that meditation is an effective way to relieve depression,anxiety and other negative emotions caused by pressure.Originated from the East,meditation is regarded as an attentional strategy for entering the meditation realm.In general,meditation can be divided into focused attention meditation and open monitoring meditation.Individuals can promote the growth of telomeres and the improvement of telomerase activity through short-term or long-term meditation,which is closely related to the relief of pressure.In terms of meditation to alleviate psychological stress,most current researchers have explored the neural mechanisms underlying meditation training to relieve stress.With the deepening of research and multidisciplinary integration,some scholars began to turn their perspectives from the changes in telomere length and telomerase activity to reveal the mystery of meditation to relieve stress.The shortening of telomeres and the decrease of telomerase activity are closely related to the chronic psychological distress and external stress faced by people.Fortunately,meditation training increases telomerase activity,which in turn increases telomere length,both of which promote stress relief.The length of telomeres depends on the activity of telomerase,which is considered a"psychobiomarker"associated with psychological stress and disease.On the one hand,based on recent studies on the effect of meditation on telomeres and telomerase activity,this study elaborated the relationship between telomere,telomerase and pressure.Psychosocial stress causes a range of health problems by affecting telomere length and telomerase activity,such as depressive disorder and cardiovascular disease(CVD).This may be one of the important mechanisms that cause stress to endanger the health of human beings.On the other hand,this study analyzed the changes of telomeres and telomerase in stressed people through meditation training.Meditation training can increase telomere length and increase telomerase activity,which may be one of the reasons for meditation to relieve stress.People can use meditation training to reduce stress,promote health,and prolong life.In a word,meditation is a universal form of health training,whether group training or individual training,long-term meditation or short-term meditation,it can achieve this positive effect.Therefore,meditation training has the necessity of promotion.The positive effects of meditation training are not only related to psychological factors,but also to the individual’s environment in meditation.In addition,since telomere and telomerase are important substances in the human body,the influence of biological factors on them cannot be ignored.Therefore,this study clarified the causes of telomere and telomerase changes in meditation from both psychological and biological factors,and their contribution to stress reduction.In terms of psychological factors,this effect may be related to personality,sensory control,etc.;In terms of biological factors,it may be related to cortisol,inflammation,diet,etc.In future research,from the perspective of application,we can compare the training differences brought by different meditation methods and find the meditation method that is most beneficial to increase telomere length and telomerase activity.From the perspective of theory,the influence of personality characteristics and thinking mode on the effect of meditation training can be explored,so as to better reveal the moderating or mediating role.