In a new study from Binghamton University, researchers found just 8 weeks of meditation can make the brain quicker.
Millions of people around the world seek mental clarity through meditation, most of them following or inspired by the centuries-old practices of Buddhism.
Anecdotally, those who meditate say it helps to calm their minds, recenter their thoughts and cut through the “noise” to show what really matters.
Scientifically, though, showing the effects of meditation on the human brain has proved to be tricky.
In the study, the team tracked how practicing meditation for just a couple of months changed the brain patterns of 10 students in the University’s Scholars Program.
They provided a short course teaching the students how to meditate, told them to practice five times a week for 10 or 15 minutes, and asked them to keep a journal record of their practice.
The results showed that meditation training led to faster switching between the brain’s two general states of consciousness.
One is called the default mode network, which is active when the brain is at wakeful rest and not focused on the outside world, such as during daydreaming and mind-wandering.
The other is the dorsal attention network, which engages in attention-demanding tasks.
The findings showed that meditation can enhance the brain connection among and within these two brain networks, indicating the effect of meditation on fast switching between the mind wandering and focusing its attention as well as maintaining attention once in the attentive state.
The team says Tibetans have a term for that ease of switching between states—they call it mental pliancy, an ability that allows you to shape and mold your mind.
They also consider the goal of concentration one of the fundamental principles of self-growth.
Because Alzheimer’s disease and autism could be caused by problems with the dorsal attention network, the team is making plans for future research that could use meditation to mitigate those problems.
If you care about meditation, please read studies about potential harm of meditation you should know and findings of why mindfulness meditation could benefit your mental health.
The study is published in Scientific Reports. One author of the study is Weiying Dai.
Copyright © 2021 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
