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In an era where mindfulness apps dominate smartphones and meditation studios populate urban corners, a new groundbreaking international study suggests that the ancient Catholic prayer practice of praying the rosary may offer comparable mental health benefits to Eastern-inspired meditation techniques. The research, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, also challenges assumptions made about traditional practices like the rosary, revealing surprising insights about who is actually praying the rosary in 2025. Researchers from Italy, Poland, and Spain surveyed 361 practicing Catholics to assess the impact of praying the rosary on well-being and mental health. They found that participants who prayed the rosary reported higher levels of well-being, increased empathy, and significantly lower levels of religious struggle or spiritual anxiety — which research has shown can be benefits of other meditation techniques. Researchers also found that 62.2% of participants held graduate or master’s degrees, challenging an assumption they say some may hold that traditional Catholic devotions appeal mainly to the less educated. “We were struck by how this traditional practice transcends educational and generational boundaries,” said lead researcher Father Lluis Oviedo from the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome. Oviedo told CNA that the study originated out of a frustration that a lot of research had been devoted to the benefits of practicing mindfulness and other meditation techniques, but practically nothing has been published about the rosary, despite it clearly being a form of meditation too. “Our team tried to explore whether we could find similar benefits in this Catholic prayer to those attributed to more fashionable forms of meditation,” he said. “I was convinced that we would find positive results as I knew from personal experience and the testimonies of others what this prayer meant and what they experienced during it.” bit.ly/440qQ2s