Publications by authors named "Sumi L Kim"
Objectives: People raised in low socio-economic status (SES) households are at an increased risk for physical illness in adulthood. A shift in gene expression profiles in the immune system is one biological mechanism thought to account for elevated disease susceptibility, with a frequently-investigated profile being the conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA), characterized by increased expression of proinflammatory genes and decreased expression of antiviral and antibody-related genes.
Methods: The present study investigated, in a sample of at-risk midlife adults ( = 88), whether those randomized to learn loving-kindness meditation (LKM) in a 6-week workshop, would show a reduction in CTRA gene expression, compared to those randomized to learn mindfulness meditation (MM).
Combinations of multiple meditation practices have been shown to reduce the attrition of telomeres, the protective caps of chromosomes (Carlson et al., 2015). Here, we probed the distinct effects on telomere length (TL) of mindfulness meditation (MM) and loving-kindness meditation (LKM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study aimed to explore the emotional impacts of two meditation methods—mindfulness and loving-kindness—among midlife adults, measuring their daily practice and emotional responses over nine weeks.
- - Results showed that both meditation types significantly increased positive emotions without affecting negative emotions, with a stronger effect observed for loving-kindness meditation.
- - The findings highlight a clear connection between the amount and frequency of meditation practice and improvements in emotional wellbeing, supporting the use of these meditation techniques for enhancing mental health.