The primary aim of this study was to understand if and how people used meditation and other contemplative practices to cope with stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether this practice was related to better mental and physical health outcomes. Our objective was to learn about the difficulties and stressors faced by individuals during the pandemic, as well as the ways they found strength and support. We assessed changes in life stressors, coping mechanisms, psychological well-being, and telomere length—a biological marker of cellular aging—over a one year period. To better understand participants' pandemic experiences within the broader contexts of their lives, we also measured prior life challenges and adversities. 

Our research team strives to cultivate a research environment that values participants’ perspectives and a research experience that is empowering for them. We deeply value their dedication and contributions. To acknowledge these efforts, we are returning individualized data reports to participants who request them. We hope that these reports offer participants an opportunity to learn from their own data in ways that might support their continued well-being. 

We also aim to disseminate our research findings beyond traditional academic outlets to make our findings more accessible. To this end, we have developed an interactive data-visualization dashboard, so that a variety of stakeholders might explore our results. 
​
Our aspiration is that this research and its outcomes will be used to promote individual and collective well-being post-pandemic.