Dumbbells and barbells, swimming and running are known ways to "build" muscles, strengthen bones and achieve excellent body condition. But how do you get the same out of your brain? Just meditate
This is the conclusion reached by a group of American researchers who examined the brains of meditators using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
“People who meditate on a daily basis are known to increase their ability to 'cultivate' positive experiences and gain greater emotional stability,” says study co-author Eileen Luders. The observed differences in brain anatomy may explain why this is happening. " We add that experienced "meditators" acquire other useful abilities, their stress level decreases, and the immune system strengthens. Still, the effect of meditation on the very structure of the brain is a topic that has so far been little explored.
When studying the brains of volunteers using MRI, the scientists used two approaches. One consisted in dividing the brain into regions and comparing their characteristics, and the other in studying different brain tissues and comparing the amounts of gray matter in one or another area. It was in these ways that both an increase in the volume of some regions of the brain and an increase in the content of gray matter in the orbitofrontal cortex, thalamus and temporal inferior gyrus were shown. Moreover, no cases were found where the non-meditating control group would have had an advantage over the “meditators”.
Since all the areas that meditation seems to affect are related to the emotional life of the brain, Luders believes that there are quite serious neurological changes behind the high degree of emotional control that is developed during meditation practices.
Note that the study in question was not long term. So there is still the possibility that the "meditators" were originally larger and more saturated with gray matter in certain areas of the brain. Maybe it was this that "made" them engage in meditative practice.
This is reported by "Knowledge - Power".