The Science Behind Meditation
Meditation has been around for thousands of years, yet over time, with the development of scientific experimentation and more sophisticated research, we continue to learn how meditation physically alters the body and the mind in ways that can have incredible benefits for ourselves and for others.
Research
Most of the research into mindfulness is in the area of brain structure and brain function, particularly in the areas of neuroplasticity and more recently in neurogenesis (see below). There has also been significant research carried out on the psychological effects of meditation particularly in the areas of stress reduction, anxiety regulation, depression and pain management. There is too much research out there to list it all here but some of the big institutions that have been actively involved in this research have been Harvard University, University of Massachusetts’ Medical Centre, The Centre for Healthy Minds in University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.
Research on the effects of meditation go as far back as the mid-1970s. Then, in the late 1990s the first Randomized Control Trial on the effects of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) on brain electrical activity, headed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard Davidson was published in 2003. The research found that the 8-week MBSR programme produced significant changes in brain function such as greater emotional regulation and even, greater immune response to the influenza vaccination.
Increased neuroscience research is showing us that meditation can literally rewire the brain and improve mind-body health.
The brain
More on the brain…
Neuroplasticity – the ability for the brain to change through repeated experience.
A step further is Neurogenesis – the generation of new neurons in the brain.
Research has shown that meditation influences both of these processes. Experience shapes the brain, therefore, through meditation and healthy habits of mind we can take responsibility for the trajectory of change in our brain in ways that are beneficial to mental and neural health.
As well as functional changes: e.g. in regulation of attention and emotion, meditation has shown to produce structural changes in the brain – altered traits beyond the period of meditation.
Effects and benefits of meditation
As well as these incredible effects on the brain, meditation can have both short-term benefits like reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and improving attention; as well as longer-term benefits such as leveling down the genes involved in our inflammatory responses or increasing the density of gray matter (back to the brain!) in the frontal cortex of our brain associated with emotions, thereby regulating our emotional response and impulse control, as well as in the hippocampus which is related to learning and memory.
In social contexts, consistent meditation practice (particularly certain practices such as Loving-Kindness meditations or Compassion based practices) can boost our empathy and compassion levels as well as our emotional resilience and capacity for kindness. By examining our thinking mind, we can regulate our thoughts so that we become less judgmental towards others and more importantly towards ourselves.
And, as the research mentioned above has shown, regular meditation can also boost our immune system (related to a decrease in stress in the body) - for example, helping us recover more quickly from the flu.
Wellbeing as a skill
It turns out, therefore, that we can cultivate wellbeing. Most of our problems in the world today can almost all be traced to a shortfall in wellbeing. If wellbeing can be cultivated at scale, we can hope to change the socio-emotional pulse of the world through our practice, beginning with ourselves and creating a ripple effect from our wellspring of care.
The good news is that meditation has permeated different fields such as healthcare, education and the workplace over the last decades, thereby endorsing its legitimacy. Challenges, of course, remain as a contraction around mindfulness is still felt amongst many.
With all research, there are weaknesses and biases in the variables so my suggestion is to do your own research by finding out for yourself and exploring the effects and benefits of meditation through your own practice.
