Research Found that Meditation Changes Brain Structure

• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2011-02-19 20:59

  Boston - Meditation not only calms down an agitated brain but also causes structural changes in the brain that can improve several functions, as found by a news research study conducted in Boston, Massachusetts.
  Scientists have previously studied the differences in brain structure of people who practice meditation and those who don’t meditate. However, there was no evidence that the changes are actually cause by the practice of meditation. A new research study has now confirmed that meditation does cause brain structure changes.
  
  The study was carried out mainly by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, including Britta K. Hölzel and Sara W. Lazar along with others. It is titled Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density and has been published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging (January 30, 2011). The research analyzed brain structure scans of 16 subjects, before and after entering a meditation practice program, and compared them with a control group not practicing meditation. Results showed that the meditating group had increased density of gray matter in their brain’s hippocampus and other structures related to such functions as memory, self-awareness, empathy, and learning.
  
  The study’s results show that meditation improves all these functions since the increased density of gray matter in the associated structures of brain signify greater neural underpinning for these functions. At the same time, the research also found that meditation decreased the gray matter density in the amygdala, the almond-shaped structure of the brain associated with anxiety and stress. Accordingly, meditation decreases anxiety and stress, as reported by the subjects participating in the study.
  
  The study is said to have opened a new door for further research on coping with stress-induced psychological problems like PTSD. Britta K. Hölzel says that they have started studying the mechanisms that are involved in bringing about the change in brain structures by meditation.
  

  
  
  http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/303289#ixzz1E2G3OpMY
  
  makes you wanna meditate
  
  meditating cat
  [video=youtube;1GR6rktGtbU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GR6rktGtbU[/video]
• Cucurbita wrote on 2011-02-19 21:04
  Already something everyone knew though.
  
  Meditation, which can be anything from sitting down and relaxing with your mind cleared, or making a prayer, influences the brain.
• Mama wrote on 2011-02-19 21:35
  huh.. why do they make it sound so groundbreaking?
• Osayidan wrote on 2011-02-19 22:36

  Quote from Mama;341875:

  huh.. why do they make it sound so groundbreaking?

  
  
  Because the big guys of the scientific community consider meditation to be new age voodoo magic and ridicule anyone who claims otherwise. Now they need to shut up.
  
  My mom had lot's of stress/fatigue related problems and her doctor kept saying meditation was nonsense. 3 years later she ignored him finally and now she's better.
  
  When I say the scientific community is retarded and full of themselves, this is a big part of what I'm referring to.
  
  The general public trust these "educated" people, sometimes with their lives, yet these people ignore healing and other practices that's been used efficiently for thousands of years since our early history.
• Mama wrote on 2011-02-19 22:45

  Quote from Osayidan;341963:

  Because the big guys of the scientific community consider meditation to be new age voodoo magic and ridicule anyone who claims otherwise. Now they need to shut up.

  
  
  seriously?
  
  I figured it was common sense among psychologists that even adopting a certain mindset changes the organization of the brain. meditation should be no different; taxi drivers have larger hippocampuses ffs.
  it would definitely need to be a lifestyle for it to really make a difference in your life. the brain is a dynamic thing, and can easily revert back if you're not doing something regularly.
  
  I mean, if i spent a chunk of my day literally devoted to not being worried or stressed I'd be damned if it had no effect on my amygdala.
  
  actually I had no idea about the scientific community believing in that. I do know they have always been skeptic of parapsychology.
• Osayidan wrote on 2011-02-19 22:49
  They're skeptic about a lot of things that don't involve you getting surgery or prescriptions. I know too many people who had problems, went to see doctors, got meds, nothing worked... then they go to something like acupuncture or meditation or even herbal remedies and all their problems go away.
  
  Meanwhile doctors highly discourage it, ridicule it, and in some regions go so far as to try and shut down herbal remedy distributors or force them to have huge labels saying it's not approved by doctors.
• Mama wrote on 2011-02-19 23:08
  that's strange.
  
  I guess it isn't surprising for medical or family doctors versus a softer science like psychology. They're big on therapy, but it is true I've never heard of meditation alone as being a cure for anything.
• Chillax wrote on 2011-02-19 23:28

  Quote from Mama;341875:

  huh.. why do they make it sound so groundbreaking?

  
  
  It's just a journalist trying to come up with a story.
• Pierce wrote on 2011-02-19 23:38
  Well duh, brain structure changes constantly. Listen to Beethoven everyday and within a month your brain won't be the same.
• Mama wrote on 2011-02-20 00:57
  @chillax
  apparently.
  
  

  Quote from Pierce;342055:

  Well duh, brain structure changes constantly. Listen to Beethoven everyday and within a month your brain won't be the same.

  
  
  i think they're concerned with learning the specific areas of the brain that are affected and maybe understanding why it's changing/mechanisms.
  
  besides, it's not like beethoven makes you any smarter >:D
• Pierce wrote on 2011-02-20 02:22

  Quote from Mama;342148:

  @chillax
  apparently.
  
  
  
  i think they're concerned with learning the specific areas of the brain that are affected and maybe understanding why it's changing/mechanisms.
  
  besides, it's not like beethoven makes you any smarter >:D

  
  
  I know, I didn't say it makes you smarter.
• Mama wrote on 2011-02-20 05:54

  Quote from Pierce;342216:

  I know, I didn't say it makes you smarter.

  
  
  don't worry, i'm just teasing. it's hard to put a tone to words sometimes so I thought a smiley would do it!
• Pierce wrote on 2011-02-20 06:15

  Quote from Mama;342461:

  don't worry, i'm just teasing. it's hard to put a tone to words sometimes so I thought a smiley would do it!

  
  
  Oh, in that case I was just teasing >:D
  
  No but seriously, even solving math problems works.
• Roy Mustang wrote on 2011-02-21 11:48

  Quote from Mama;342148:

  @chillax
  apparently.
  
  
  
  i think they're concerned with learning the specific areas of the brain that are affected and maybe understanding why it's changing/mechanisms.
  
  besides, it's not like beethoven makes you any smarter >:D

  
  
  But but, if you have your baby born and unborn listen to beethoven it's supposed to make them smarter! That's probably a misconception though :P
  
  Anyways ya, scientists and doctors try to ignore things that they can't explain with mathematical equations and constructs.
• Tatsu wrote on 2011-02-21 12:52

  Quote from kingofrunes;343930:

  But but, if you have your baby born and unborn listen to beethoven it's supposed to make them smarter! That's probably a misconception though :P
  

  
  
  I don't think that's still valid or not. I remember some experiment some guy doing on plants, and how music affects their growth. The 'rock plants' grew faster than the controls, while the 'classical plants' grew slower than the controls. Or something like that.
  
  Then again, we aren't plants.