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Well-Being in Adults

The brain continues to change based on experience throughout the lifespan, even well into late adulthood. Center scientists are identifying the biological and behavioral underpinnings of well-being with a variety of techniques such as brain imaging, molecular biology and behavioral assessments.


The Center conducts research in young, midlife and older adults, drawing from some longitudinal studies in order to carefully track age-related changes related to well-being across life.

Ongoing Studies

Illustrations of firing neuron network by 7activestudio via iStock
Cognitive Control and the Regulation of Emotion, Attention and Pain

Are people who are better at controlling their attention, emotion or pain responses in a laboratory setting more successful at carrying that skill into daily life?

Healthy Minds @ Work Demo
Developing a Program to Learn and Measure Well-Being at Scale

In collaboration with Healthy Minds Innovations, this project strives to learn how to teach and measure well-being to scale

Educators Study
Educator Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting educators’ lives and whether a mindfulness-based program buffers against the negative effects of stress.

Using Smartphone To Meditate
Evaluating the Healthy Minds Program Application in a Fully Remote Randomized Controlled Trial

Exploring whether meditation training via mobile technology (e.g., smartphones) could dramatically increase access to potentially beneficial practices.

View Of A Buddhist Monastery
Examining Individual Differences in Contemplative Practice Response

This study seeks to build upon knowledge from Tibetan medicine through examining well-being data and microbiome measures on a variety of people with varying levels of meditation training who have participated in previous intervention studies to gain a better understanding of what works for whom and why.

Alzheimers Web
Examining the Relationship Between Emotion and Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease

Center for Healthy Minds researchers are examining how emotion may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Hot Sauna Web
Exploring Hyperthermia as an Alternative Treatment for Depression

Is hyperthermia a viable and effective treatment for depression?

Close up of police car lights
Exploring the Effects of Mindfulness Training on Police Officer Resilience and Well-Being

The goals of this work are to understand the impact of mindfulness training on police officer well-being and the well-being of people negatively affected by policing.

Hmp Follow Up Study
Healthy Minds Program Promoting Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Seeking to understand whether large-scale interventions such as the Healthy Minds Program may have a protective effect against stress and mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rorschach test photo by denamazanikignatencko via iStockPhoto
Impact of Experiential Curricula and Methods to Nurture Well-Being

Center experts are developing assessments and tools that examine ways to cultivate well-being across a variety of people and contexts.

Yoga Pose
Large-Scale Analyses of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Examining the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions across research literature

Happy and sad face drawings by greenwatermelon via iStock
Measuring Well-Being

Center researchers are developing a program to teach scientifically-informed practices and principles that facilitate well-being.

Woman doing crossword puzzle by plamensart via iStock
Midlife Development in the United States

Our scientists examine how individual differences in emotional reactivity and recovery to emotional stimuli, brain structure and patterns of brain activity are related to life experiences, personality, behavior, health and well-being across the adult lifespan in a large national longitudinal sample.

Nccam Asthma Follow Up
Mindfulness-Based Training and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Examining whether experience with mindfulness-based programs and training is helping people cope with daily stress and mental challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo of cleaning chalkboard by XiXinXing via iStock
Pre-Service Teachers Project

Center researchers are investigating possible ways to prevent teacher burnout in the classroom.

Human Speaking And Human Listening
Predicting the Effectiveness of Therapists

Examining how therapist differences impact client outcomes

Smiling Faces Study
Smiling Faces Task and Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Following up with past research participants about the pandemic's impact on their lives and their current psychological outlook.

Student Flourishing Research
Student Flourishing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Determining whether there are protective effects of learning well-being skills on stress during crises.

Meditation Cushion Next To Candle
The Field Study of Long-term Meditation Practitioners and the Tukdam Post-death Meditative State

A global community of field researchers are collaborating on a study of an ancient monastic post-mortem meditative state known as tukdam, practiced by present-day expert Tibetan Buddhists and how such a practice might offer insight into mental, spiritual, and physical well-being during the death process, both for the dying and for their support community.

College students studying with computers and conversing image showing college students at work
The Student Flourishing Initiative

Center for Healthy Minds researchers, along with partners at Pennsylvania State University and the University of Virginia, are creating and studying the impact of a well-being curriculum for college freshman.

Veteran Speaking To Someone
Understanding Barriers to Well-Being in Veterans

Evaluating how organizations serving veterans impacted mental health treatment engagement

Photo of person planting seedling by weerapatkiatdumrong via iStockPhoto
Understanding the Mechanisms of Well-Being Training in Adults with and without Asthma

Center scientists and collaborators examine the impact of well-being training.