A team of researchers from the University of Jena in Germany came to a startling conclusion - meditation not only improves the functioning of the human brain, but also helps to maintain its youth.
A study carried out by German experts has shown that with the help of meditation, the brain can be rejuvenated even by 7 - 8 years. The rejuvenating effect, according to the study authors, is due to the fact that the combination of relaxation and intense concentration provokes the growth of new cells in the human brain.
The study recruited one hundred people of both sexes. Half of the participants in the study were selected from among people who have regularly practiced meditation for a long time. The other half of the volunteers never meditated and were included in the control group.
The study found that the brains of the members of the control group generally matched their actual age. That is, the brains of 50-year-old volunteers corresponded to this age. However, participants in the other group showed a completely different result, which amazed the authors of the study. It turned out that the brains of meditators are on average 7.5 years younger, that is, the state of the brain of 50-year-old subjects corresponds to the brains of 42-43-year-old people.
At the same time, scientists have noticed a relationship between the duration of meditation and the rejuvenating effect of it. In particular, one year of meditation rejuvenates the human brain for about the same period - for a year.
In the course of further research, German experts plan to find out whether meditation can prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders that cause memory problems.