Meditation Changes the Brain
Meditative Experience Translated into the Science of Brain Waves
Dec 4, 2008
While the positive physiological effects of meditation (such as reduced blood pressure, lower pulse rate and decreased metabolic rate) are already widely accepted by the scientific community, there has been relatively little research about the mental effects of meditation. This seems to change, however, as modern brain research seems to have the necessary scientific tools to show in an objective, scientific manner what meditators have always felt subjectively: That meditation is a tool for happiness and higher awareness.
The Study
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have worked with Tibetan monks to translate the mental experience of meditation into the scientific language of brain waves, using EEG testing and brain scanning. The monks were asked to meditate on unconditional compassion, a Buddhist meditative practice which doesn’t require concentration on particular objects or images but rather cultivates a state of compassion in the mind. There was also a control group without any previous experience in meditation.
Findings
According to Richard Davidson, neuroscientist at the university’s Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, the results demonstrate that the brain is capable of being trained and physically modified in hitherto unimagined ways.
The study also found that:
- experienced meditators show high-frequency gamma waves associated with higher mental activity, perception and consciousness.
- The mental practice of meditation has an effect on the brain the same way as learning physical activities such as golf or tennis do. That is: The mere mental activity of meditation leaves an imprint on the brain and these changes can be made visible through scientific methods.
- The human brain remains moldable throughout life: new connections among brain nerve cells can constantly be grown.
- Mental training can change the way our brains work.
- These changes are likely to be permanent. The monks in the study showed higher than normal gamma wave activity even before they were meditating.
- The monks in that study showed much more and unusually powerful gamma-waves than the control group consisting of volunteers without previous meditation experience.
- The higher the meditation experience, the higher were the levels of gamma waves. Some experienced monks showed the most powerful gamma waves ever to be documented in a human being. In the control group without previous meditation experience, the increases in gamma waves were only slight.
A more recent study by Sara Lazar found that meditation even increases the size of the brain.
Happy through Meditation
Interestingly, the findings of this study were consistent with Davidson’s earlier work in which he showed the left prefrontal cortex to be associated with happiness and positive thought. In the present study, brain activity during meditation was highest in just this area of the brain. This seems to scientifically prove what meditators from different spiritual traditions have known and experienced for centuries: That meditation is a simple, yet powerful tool for achieving happiness.
Source: Washington Post article by Marc Kaufman from Monday, January 3, 2005
