Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

A meditation technique reduces loneliness and chronic inflammation disorders in seniors, new research shows.

A study with a 2-month-long program involving a psychological intervention called mindfulness-based stress reduction successfully decreased participants’ feelings of loneliness. It also significantly reduced expression of inflammatory genes, University of California, Los Angeles researchers found.

Study participants meditated for approximately 30 minutes a day and focused on the present.

The research was published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity.