Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Meditation?Benefits of MeditationBenefits of Meditation for MenMeditation for Men at WorkMen and Women May Respond to Meditation DifferentlyHow to Meditate for Men

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Meditation?

Benefits of Meditation

Benefits of Meditation for Men

Meditation for Men at Work

Men and Women May Respond to Meditation Differently

How to Meditate for Men

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Meditation has grown in recent years, with everyone from Paul McCartney to LeBron James to Oprah Winfrey reporting having a meditation practice, but yet, there are still more women than men who report meditating regularly.

Between 2012 and 2017, the number of people who reported meditating in the National Health Information Survey more than tripled.In this large sample size of nearly 100,000 people, more women than men (16% of women versus 11 % of men) also report meditating regularly.

ReminderWhile there are some similarities in the kinds of health benefits anyonecan see from meditation (regardless of gender), there are also some specific ways that men benefit may from meditation, and there are different types of meditation that may appeal more to men than women.

Reminder

While there are some similarities in the kinds of health benefits anyonecan see from meditation (regardless of gender), there are also some specific ways that men benefit may from meditation, and there are different types of meditation that may appeal more to men than women.

This article explains the benefits, some different styles of meditation, and how to get started.

Ask someonewhat meditation is, and you will get as many answers as there are many different types of meditations. However, most people would likely agree that meditation is a practice that helps them feel more grounded and centered in themselves.

The term meditation means “to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.”

Where Did the Practice of Meditation Come From?

The practice of meditation originated in India in ancient Vedic times. The goal of meditation is to connect with the inner Self.

In Buddhist texts,the closest translation of the word “meditation” is the word “Dhyana,” which is meant to be the training of the mind to slow down automatic responses in order to achieve greaterawarenessand a sense of calmness.

Meditation is known to help myriad conditions both mental and physical. It also increases overall feelings of well-being and quality of life.Some conditions that mindfulness may help(in conjunction with other interventions) include:

How Meditation Impacts Your Mind and Body

While meditation can help anyone with the above health concerns, there are some specific areas where men will benefit from meditation.

May Help With Male Infertility

Meditation may even help with male infertility,which is a man’s inability to impregnate someone due to a variety of problems in the male reproductive system as well as lifestyle factors.

Stress can lead to damage to sperm DNA. In a study,lifestyle changes such as meditation, led to reversing some of the oxidative stress that may contribute to male infertility.

May Lower Blood Pressure

Another study that specifically looked at Black men (and women)found that atranscendental meditationpractice was associated with lowering systolic blood pressure among those with high normal blood pressure.

May Regulate Hormones

A different study of men practicing transcendental meditationshowed positively altered hormones, including testosterone, cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, and growth hormone.

Taking time to meditate is also being normalized in the business world, with executives such as former LinkedIn CEOJeff Weiner talking about meditating regularly. Knowing that meditation may help at work is a reason that some men get into it.

NYC-based therapistJor-El Caraballo, LMHC, says he likes to think of meditation as “the equivalent of those computer defragmenters, but for your brain. The puzzle pieces come together more clearly, and it’s easier to see what’s supposed to happen next.”

And meditation can improve performance at work, both on personal levels and on organizational levels. A cohort of workers at an Italian companypracticed meditation together daily for three months. By the end of this period, not only hadproductivityincreased and mistakes decreased, but the workers also reportedincreased happiness.

Considering the ways that men and women are socialized differently tofulfill certain gender roles, it shouldn’t be surprising that men and women respond to meditation differently.

Men, on the other hand, improved their emotional reactivity, non-judgment, and self-compassion through mindfulness involving increasing their ability to identify, describe, and differentiate their emotions.

Researchhas also shown that men are more likely to express psychological distress through externalizing behaviors such assubstance useorviolent behavior, for example. Many men will direct their emotional activity outwards such as through sports orvideo games, whereas women may be more likely to journal or ruminate.

Meditation May Feel Actionable for MenBecause of this externalizing of dealing with psychological distress, Caraballo says that he sees a fair amount of his male clients trying meditation since it’s an action they feel like they can take. “I think a lot of men think it’s this thing that will fix everything,” he says. “Some see it almost as a status symbol, something they can brag about.”

Meditation May Feel Actionable for Men

Because of this externalizing of dealing with psychological distress, Caraballo says that he sees a fair amount of his male clients trying meditation since it’s an action they feel like they can take. “I think a lot of men think it’s this thing that will fix everything,” he says. “Some see it almost as a status symbol, something they can brag about.”

Meditation represents a broad range of techniques, so men may want to look at some gender-specific approaches to mindfulness. They may gravitate towards more active forms of meditation, whether this means being more physically active, such as amindfulness walk, or more psychologically active and less passive, such as learning to label one’s emotions.

Two types ofmindfulness-based activities that may be particularly helpful to menare:

What If I Don’t Like Just “Sitting There?”

Caraballo says he has had clients that feel like meditation “isn’t enough. Just sitting is a hard sell—it’s hard for them to quantify, and they don’t know what they’ll get out of it.”

Tip: Caraballo recommends leaving headphones at home to be able to really absorb the experience around you.

Caraballo also notes that some beginners preferguided meditations. “Sometimes people just like being told what to do,” he says.

What If I’m Not Meditating the Right Way?

Caraballo says he sees many men who think they’re “not doing it right—and that can run really deep for people,” he says. “I try to look at it as even if you don’t do it ‘well,’ whatever that means for you, you are still gaining something. It’s still dedicated time for yourself, and it’s better than having not done it.”

It can be common for people to feel like they haven’t “gotten there” if they don’t magicallyrelaxafter one meditation session, but it’s a process and a journey, and sometimes it takes a while longer to settle into.

The 7 Best Meditation Apps of 2024

14 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractors Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 and Over.Merriam-Webster.Meditate.Sharma H.Meditation: Process and effects.Ayu. 2015;36(3):233-237. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.182756Srinivasan TM.From meditation to dhyana.Int J Yoga. 2013;6(1):1-3. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.105934Greeson JM, Webber DM, Smoski MJ, et al.Changes in spirituality partly explain health-related quality of life outcomes after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.J Behav Med. 2011;34(6):508-518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9332-xNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation: In Depth.Bisht S, Faiq M, Tolahunase M, Dada R.Oxidative stress and male infertility.Nat Rev Urol. 2017;14(8):470-485. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2017.69Schneider RH, Grim C, Kotchen T, et al.Randomized controlled trial of stress reduction with meditation and health education in black men and women with high normal and normal blood pressure.American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2021;8:100279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100279MacLean CRK, Walton KG, Wenneberg SR, et al.Effects of the transcendental meditation program on adaptive mechanisms: Changes in hormone levels and responses to stress after 4 months of practice.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1997;22(4):277-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(97)00003-6Pagliaro G, Pelati R, Signorini D, Parenti G, Roversi F.The effects of meditation on the performance and well-being of a company: A pilot study.EXPLORE. 2020;16(1):56-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2019.07.014Rojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;0. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551Ridge D, Emslie C, White A.Understanding how men experience, express and cope with mental distress: where next?: Men and mental distress.Sociology of Health & Illness. 2011;33(1):145-159. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01266.xRojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;8:551. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551Lieberman MD, Eisenberger NI, Crockett MJ, Tom SM, Pfeifer JH, Way BM.Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli.Psychol Sci. 2007;18(5):421-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x

14 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractors Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 and Over.Merriam-Webster.Meditate.Sharma H.Meditation: Process and effects.Ayu. 2015;36(3):233-237. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.182756Srinivasan TM.From meditation to dhyana.Int J Yoga. 2013;6(1):1-3. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.105934Greeson JM, Webber DM, Smoski MJ, et al.Changes in spirituality partly explain health-related quality of life outcomes after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.J Behav Med. 2011;34(6):508-518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9332-xNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation: In Depth.Bisht S, Faiq M, Tolahunase M, Dada R.Oxidative stress and male infertility.Nat Rev Urol. 2017;14(8):470-485. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2017.69Schneider RH, Grim C, Kotchen T, et al.Randomized controlled trial of stress reduction with meditation and health education in black men and women with high normal and normal blood pressure.American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2021;8:100279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100279MacLean CRK, Walton KG, Wenneberg SR, et al.Effects of the transcendental meditation program on adaptive mechanisms: Changes in hormone levels and responses to stress after 4 months of practice.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1997;22(4):277-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(97)00003-6Pagliaro G, Pelati R, Signorini D, Parenti G, Roversi F.The effects of meditation on the performance and well-being of a company: A pilot study.EXPLORE. 2020;16(1):56-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2019.07.014Rojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;0. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551Ridge D, Emslie C, White A.Understanding how men experience, express and cope with mental distress: where next?: Men and mental distress.Sociology of Health & Illness. 2011;33(1):145-159. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01266.xRojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;8:551. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551Lieberman MD, Eisenberger NI, Crockett MJ, Tom SM, Pfeifer JH, Way BM.Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli.Psychol Sci. 2007;18(5):421-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractors Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 and Over.Merriam-Webster.Meditate.Sharma H.Meditation: Process and effects.Ayu. 2015;36(3):233-237. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.182756Srinivasan TM.From meditation to dhyana.Int J Yoga. 2013;6(1):1-3. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.105934Greeson JM, Webber DM, Smoski MJ, et al.Changes in spirituality partly explain health-related quality of life outcomes after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.J Behav Med. 2011;34(6):508-518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9332-xNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation: In Depth.Bisht S, Faiq M, Tolahunase M, Dada R.Oxidative stress and male infertility.Nat Rev Urol. 2017;14(8):470-485. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2017.69Schneider RH, Grim C, Kotchen T, et al.Randomized controlled trial of stress reduction with meditation and health education in black men and women with high normal and normal blood pressure.American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2021;8:100279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100279MacLean CRK, Walton KG, Wenneberg SR, et al.Effects of the transcendental meditation program on adaptive mechanisms: Changes in hormone levels and responses to stress after 4 months of practice.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1997;22(4):277-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(97)00003-6Pagliaro G, Pelati R, Signorini D, Parenti G, Roversi F.The effects of meditation on the performance and well-being of a company: A pilot study.EXPLORE. 2020;16(1):56-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2019.07.014Rojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;0. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551Ridge D, Emslie C, White A.Understanding how men experience, express and cope with mental distress: where next?: Men and mental distress.Sociology of Health & Illness. 2011;33(1):145-159. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01266.xRojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;8:551. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551Lieberman MD, Eisenberger NI, Crockett MJ, Tom SM, Pfeifer JH, Way BM.Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli.Psychol Sci. 2007;18(5):421-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Use of Yoga, Meditation, and Chiropractors Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 and Over.

Merriam-Webster.Meditate.

Sharma H.Meditation: Process and effects.Ayu. 2015;36(3):233-237. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.182756

Srinivasan TM.From meditation to dhyana.Int J Yoga. 2013;6(1):1-3. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.105934

Greeson JM, Webber DM, Smoski MJ, et al.Changes in spirituality partly explain health-related quality of life outcomes after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.J Behav Med. 2011;34(6):508-518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9332-x

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Meditation: In Depth.

Bisht S, Faiq M, Tolahunase M, Dada R.Oxidative stress and male infertility.Nat Rev Urol. 2017;14(8):470-485. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2017.69

Schneider RH, Grim C, Kotchen T, et al.Randomized controlled trial of stress reduction with meditation and health education in black men and women with high normal and normal blood pressure.American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2021;8:100279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100279

MacLean CRK, Walton KG, Wenneberg SR, et al.Effects of the transcendental meditation program on adaptive mechanisms: Changes in hormone levels and responses to stress after 4 months of practice.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1997;22(4):277-295. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(97)00003-6

Pagliaro G, Pelati R, Signorini D, Parenti G, Roversi F.The effects of meditation on the performance and well-being of a company: A pilot study.EXPLORE. 2020;16(1):56-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2019.07.014

Rojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;0. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551

Ridge D, Emslie C, White A.Understanding how men experience, express and cope with mental distress: where next?: Men and mental distress.Sociology of Health & Illness. 2011;33(1):145-159. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01266.x

Rojiani R, Santoyo JF, Rahrig H, Roth HD, Britton WB.Women benefit more than men in response to college-based meditation training.Front Psychol. 2017;8:551. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551

Lieberman MD, Eisenberger NI, Crockett MJ, Tom SM, Pfeifer JH, Way BM.Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli.Psychol Sci. 2007;18(5):421-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x

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