Association of attendance at large-scale multicultural festival and regular meditation practice on enduring social connection and positive affect.

Over one-third of the population report feelings of loneliness, known to be a major risk factor for poor physical and mental health. Large-scale cultural events bring together people across cultures, highlighting diversity of thought and cultures. They also illustrate many commonalities, promoting a sense of common humanity and social connection. Meditative practices also have shown potential for increasing social connection by reducing stress, and improving well-being. This study investigated whether a large-scale cultural event that highlighted diversity and inclusiveness controlled by regularity in meditative practices was associated with increased social connectedness and well-being in attendees. Behavioral responses were recorded before, immediately after and six-weeks post the three-day World Culture Festival (WCF) in Washington D.C. among participants who attended the event either in-person or online, and those who registered but didn’t attend. Significant improvements were seen in social connection, prosocial behavior, positive affect, and improved sleep quality post WCF. Improvements were sustained six weeks post WCF among regular meditators, highlighting long term effects. Participants with more regular meditation practice showed a stronger improvement immediately post WCF, and a stronger sustained response. The study highlights the association between a large-scale multicultural event and regular meditation practice on enhanced social and emotional well-being.