Further proof is showing how meditation can make you more 'brainy'... literally. Eileen Luders, researcher at UCLA, has been setting out to prove that meditation can help brain tissue to grow and the connection between the brain cells is strengthened.
For many years, the general thought was that brain cells were on a one way street of destruction without any more cells being produced to replace 'lost' cells. Over 2 years ago though, the theory that stimulation can increase brain tissue depending on the nature of the stimulation. This has been shown in many studies since. Professor Luder, managed to prove this could be the case and can be seen presenting earlier research.
Recently there has been a paper, carried out by Department of Psychology Emory University USA, which links the skills gained while sitting in meditation being transferred into everyday life. W. Hasenkamp and L Barsalou have shown that abilities in maintaining attention and disengaging from distraction have improved in everyday life in seasoned meditation practitioners.
What does this mean for those new to meditation? The report shows that there is evidence that those with a regular long-term practice of meditation bring their improvements into everyday life with them. A little like athletes training for a sport. Their training allows them to perform better at their sport. Those training the mind 'on the cushion' may find that they can have a greater awareness in the rest of their life. Also, just as atrophied muscles can be repaired through exercise, so it seems that atrophied minds may be able to improve also. This could lead into research about memory improvement, emotional improvement or even motor response improvements.
Stay Healthy!
Comments