Mindfulness and other meditative practices have demonstrated structural changes in the brain. Improvements have been noted in the increase of focus and attention, lower stress and anxiety, increased capacity for learning, increased cognitive recall and memory and even an increase in creativity. Here are some of the ways your brain is affected by meditation.
- UCLA study found participants who have been meditating for an average of 20 years had more grey matter volume throughout the brain.
- Mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for mind-wandering. The DMN is on when our minds are just wandering from thought to thought. Since mind-wandering is actually ruminating and worrying it’s the goal for many people to slow it down.
- Mindfulness meditation can actually change the structure of the brain. Eight weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was found to increase cortical thickness in the hippocampus which affects learning, memory, emotion regulation and self-referential processing.
- There is a decrease in brain cell volume in the amygdala which is responsible for fear, anxiety, and stress. Further research found that after meditation training mood and arousal were affected and participants described an improvement in their psychological well-being.
- Research shows meditation improves attention and concentration. A study has found that after just a couple of weeks of meditation training participants demonstrated improvements in focus and memory.
- The Left Hippocampus is the area of the Brain that helps us learn. It is also a player in cognitive ability, memory and emotional regulators like self-awareness and empathy. Research confirms that the cortical thickness of the hippocampus grows in volume through meditation. It also shows that the density of gray-matter density increases.
- The posterior cingulate is connected to your wandering thoughts and self-relevance. Studies show that the larger and stronger the posterior cingulate the less the mind wanders and the more realistic the sense of self can be. Meditation seems to increase the density of the posterior cingulate.
- The Pons is a busy and important part of the brain where many of the neurotransmitters that regulate brain activity are produced. It is located in the middle of the brain stem. The pons is involved in essential functions like sleep, facial expressions, processing sensory input, and basic physical functioning. Meditation strengthens the pons.
- The Temporo Parietal Junction (TPJ) is associated with empathy and compassion and our sense of perspective. The TPJ becomes more active when we empathize. A strong TPJ shows benefits like lower stress and increased awareness.
- The Amygdala shrinks. The amygdala is the part of the brain that produces feelings of anxiety, fear and general stress. It is physically smaller in the brain after frequent meditation. Research shows that even a eight-week crash course in mindfulness leads to a measurable decrease in the size of the amygdala. The smaller it gets the less impact on our emotional responses like fight-or-flight
- Brain Waves: When messages are transmitted between neurons, this creates a current. Brain waves are “neural oscillations.” The 5 waves are gamma, beta, alpha, theta, and delta. Each corresponds with a certain kind of activity.
- Gamma waves dominate when our minds are actively learning or in hyperactivity mode. They boost learning and information is easily retained. Uncontrolled gamma waves can cause anxiety. Experiments monitoring the brain waves of experienced Tibetan meditators during meditation showed gamma waves two to three times higher than the resting level. This produces a high level of alertness even in a profound, relaxed state. Monitoring showed sustained gamma synchrony which demonstrated harmony.
- Alpha waves tend dominate when we’re engaged in activities that relax the mind and body. Alpha waves are thought to protect the brain from paying too much attention to superfluous thoughts and stimuli. Neuroscientists showed that an increase of alpha brain waves reduced depressive symptoms and increased creative thinking.