Meditation study finds lasting benefits for students’ stress and wellbeing

A randomised controlled trial published on 17 September 2026 in Frontiers in Psychology by researchers at King's College London compared two meditation programmes, mindfulness and heartfulness, among distance-learning postgraduate students.

Seventy-three participants were randomly assigned to one of the two eight-week programmes, and 61 completed the assessments. After eight weeks, both groups showed significant improvements in stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms and wellbeing. At the 12-week follow-up, the improvements in stress and wellbeing were maintained, while the gains in anxiety held only among participants who completed the programme.

The researchers found no statistically significant differences between the two approaches, which suggests that both are comparably effective ways to support the mental health of students who study remotely and often in isolation.

The results add to a growing body of evidence that practices of attention, calm and inner reflection are not a luxury but a real resource for facing the tensions of daily life, and a starting point for personal and social transformation.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology – Mindfulness vs Heartfulness RCT