A new study from Germany’s Max Planck Institute showed that daily meditation training for 3 to 6 months significantly reduces the long-term stress load of healthy adults. The study was unique for measuring the levels of cortisone (the cortisol–stress hormone–accumulation in hair)–and found that after 6 months, the amount of cortisol in participants’ hair dropped 25%. The study also provides evidence that the typical 8-week training period of Western mindfulness-based stress reduction programs need to be longer.
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