Study of Buddhist Monks Finds Meditation Alters Brain Activity

You think meditation simply rest the brain? Think again.

A new international study has concluded

that meditation is actually

a state of heightened cerebral activity

that profoundly alters brain dynamics.

Researchers from Canada

and Italy recruited 12 mocks from a Buddhist monastery

outside of Rome and analyze their brain activity

using magnetoencephalography,

a technology that records the brain's electrical signals.

The study focused on two forms of meditation, Samatha,

which focuses on steady attention to calm

and stabilize the mind.

And vipasana, which involves observing sensations,

thought, and emotions with equanimity

to achieve mental clarity and insight.

In the experiment,

researchers used a high resolution MEG scanner

to record the monk's brain activity as they switched

between the two meditation practices.

So recordings were then analyzed

using advanced signal analysis and machine learning methods

to identify patterns in neural complexity

and brain dynamics.

Results found that

although through different dynamic configurations,

both meditation styles increase brain signal complexity,

meaning that the brain becomes more dynamically engaged

rather than relaxed.

This means that meditation enhances wellbeing

and reduces stress, anxiety, and depression,

not by switching the brain off,

but actually by actively engaging it.

So...