Meditation to improve lateral and divergent thinking among older adults: a 2-year follow-up study

Abstract

This article reports a 2-year follow-up study on the effect of meditation to improve lateral and divergent thinking among older adults. Two measures were used with the intervention and control cohorts: Runco Ideational Behavior Scale (RIBS) and Lateral Thinking Disposition Scale (LATD). There was a significant post-test increase in the RIBS and LATD scores of the intervention group. Post-test scores were higher for women, highly qualified, retired, ever-single, widowed or divorced, living solitary or in nonconventional arrangements, in good health, who attended at least 75% of the meditation lessons and regularly practiced at home. Home practice was the strongest predictor of higher post-test scores. Structural equation models indicated that adherence to the intervention by regular attendance and home practice mediated the relationship between demographic predictors and outcomes. Meditation is useful to improve lateral and divergent thinking among older adults with some refinements for sub-cohort-specific issues.