A Workout for Your Brain: The Scientific Truth About Meditation

Stories of monks and yogis whose meditation practices allow them to control their heart rate, lower their body temperature, endure days without eating, and even levitate a few inches above the ground are ubiquitous in Western society. But before you write these stories off as mere folklore, take a look at the scientific studies being conducted on the neuroscience of meditation. You might yet find yourself joining the rest of the CC campus at weekly yoga, or adding a meditation CD to your holiday wish-list.

                Meditation is a form of mental training through which practitioners strive to achieve a higher consciousness and internal positive affect. Although traditionally a critical part of many ancient spiritual practices, meditation has recently become increasingly popular in a non-religious context as an attempt to reduce stress and anxiety. In addition to this popularity, the neuroscience of meditation has become a common subject of scientific research, especially regarding the current scientific hot topic of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to alter structurally and functionally in response to environmental and behavioral factors. Neuroplasticity was formerly believed to end after a critical growth period during childhood, but scientists now generally agree that some plasticity is conserved into adulthood. Professional violinists and pianists, for example, have been shown to have increased amounts of brain tissue dedicated to the fingers, allowing the musicians to be capable of quicker and more complex melodies.

In 2002, Richard Davidson and his team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin reported that experienced meditators had increased left-side anterior activation of the brain—the portion of the brain commonly associated with positive feelings, as well as increased activity in individuals with naturally low anxiety. Davidson also distributed an influenza vaccine to two groups, one of which had completed an eight week meditation course and the other which had no meditation experience. Those who had completed the intensive meditation workshop produced a significantly greater number of antibodies when given the flu-shot than those who had not practiced meditation. In 2004, Davidson worked with the Dalai Lama and several Tibetan Buddhists who had each accumulated an incredible 10,000 to 50,000 hours of meditation over 15 to 40 years. Comparisons of the monks’ brain scans with those of amateurs revealed striking differences. The monks’ brain scans showed unprecedented high-amplitude gamma band activity and phase synchrony. This translates as enhanced activity suggestive of exceptional upper level cognition and mental activity.

While these studies imply that there may be some truth to the circulating myths about the seemingly magical benefits of meditation, many skeptics still dispute Davidson’s methods and conclusions. Several scientists point to Davidson’s personal friendship with the Dalai Lama and political activity in Chinese and Tibetan relations as sources of bias. Nevertheless, other researchers continue to show deep connections between practice of meditation and neuroplasticity. For example, one study conducted by Peter Vestergaard-Poulsen at the Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience in 2009, revealed increased gray matter (or cell body) density in the brainstems of experienced meditators. The brainstem is the part of the brain responsible for heart rate and respiration. If meditation can alter the structurally change the brainstem, then it stands to reason that the ability to lower the heart rate and breathing rate may too be achievable with practice. Additionally, the University of California Davis’ Shamatha Project recently published extensive research that suggests practice of meditation leads to increased attention abilities and feelings of well-being.   

                More diverse and widely spread research is necessary before any certain conclusions can be reached about the neuroscience of meditation. The research that has been conducted, however, clearly suggests that meditation practice has some effect on the brain both structurally and functionally. At the very least, the findings are intriguing enough to warrant further research. A membership at Pranava Yoga or a block of Buddhism may not be enough to attain the brain activity present in the Dalai Lama; yet, the possibility that meditation can alter the brain in the same way that weight-lifting can alter the muscles is an exciting one that keeps meditation teachers in business and the meditation trend on the rise. So go ahead and add yourself to the 31 person wait-list for Buddhism 8^th block; or better yet, take neuroscience next year.

This article was previously published in The Catalyst, a publication of the Colorado College in the 2011-2012 school year