“One of the reasons why it’s so long lived is because it has these huge benefits to your mental state.”
But research indicates that there is not a one-size-fits-all brain response to meditative practicesPermanent brain changes have not been confirmed in novice meditatorshoweverdespite media hype to the contrary.
Saez and other researchers are particularly interested in the impact of meditation on “goodbrain states—states of mind that feel peaceful and positive—and how meditation can be used to increase the prevalence of these statesThey hope that increased understanding of the neuroscience of meditation will eventually lead to widely available health treatmentssuch as doctors prescribing doses of meditation to people with depressionanxietyand other psychiatric conditions.
Although the exact mechanisms by which meditative states improve mental health are still being unraveledresearchers agree that even just a few minutes of meditation a day can alter brain activity in a measurable way.
How Meditation Changes Brain Structure
When studying meditation and the brainresearchers distinguish between temporary state changes measured in novice practitioners—sometimes after just a few weeks of practice—and permanent trait changes observed in long-term meditatorsClaims that mindfulness practice can thicken gray matter in the prefrontal cortexamygdalaand hippocampus of novice meditators regularly circulate in the mediahe saysyet these are based on unsubstantiated research.
Davidson and a team of researchers rigorously tested the results of popularly cited experiments that explored the effect of mindfulness-based stress-reduction MBSR on gray matter densityWhen non-invasiveexternal measuring devices—such as functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI and electroencephalogram EEG—are usedthe presence of these machines can be disruptive to entering a meditative state for many practitioners.
Despite this challengestudies of long-term meditators have yielded a plethora of data about how meditation alters brain waves“The second is that there are important differences among people who have different levels of expertise.”
For examplelong-term meditators show less activation in the gamma range than novice practitionersIn contrasthigh gamma wave activity in new meditators indicates that they are learning a new skill.
For neuroscientistscollecting brain wave data is just the first stepCareful interpretation of what the results mean for practitioners of varying experience levels is key to understanding how meditation benefits the brain.
Gamma Waves Become Stronger During Loving-Kindness Meditation for Novice Meditators
Recent research showed that gamma-wave intensity increased for novice meditators who participated in loving-kindness meditation LKMBecause gamma waves are associated with moments of insightthis result signifies that beginning LKM practitioners experience heightened awareness as a state change during meditation practiceHow this enhanced concentration translates into mood changes and enhanced mindset is not yet clearbut study participants reported an increased feeling of well-being after a single ten-minute LKM session.
“We are giving the brain an emotional workout,Panov explains“If the brain is working in the gamma rangeyou’re probably doing something really marvelous and wonderful.”
Beta Wave Duration Decreases in Loving-Kindness Meditation for Novice Meditators
A second result of this study shows that beta waveswhich are activated during periods of anxiety and stresslasted for a shorter time during LKM than they did during baseline activityThis result might point to a mechanism by which meditation increases relaxation and well-beingalthough further investigation is needed.
Beta waves also tend to come online when attention shifts—for instancewhen a person switches their focus from the world around them to what’s happening within“Our distractibility in Western society is through the roof,Panov says“Our personal devicescommercialsinstant access to emails and textall of that does not allow us to live in the present.”
One interpretation of this resultaccording to Panovis that decreased beta activity indicates we are able to stick with one thought for longer without jumping around.
Saez adds that “beta wave activity is actually the biological correlate of switching attention from the outside to the inside that happens during meditation.The combination of these behavioral shifts—increasing our attention span and focusing inward—might explain the changes recorded in beta wave activity during LKM.
Christina Mahera graduate student in Saez’s labemphasizes that this does not mean all brains respond in the same way to LKM meditationWe’re not stating that this changes the brain for everyone all of the time,explains Maher.
Alpha Waves Might Also Increase in Novice Meditators
Some studies report an increase in alpha wave activity during mindfulness meditationInterestinglythis result is not seen in long-term practitioners.
“My intuition is that the findings on alpha activity may be especially prevalent in relatively novice meditators who are in a state that is a little bit sleepy or foggy,says Davidson“The expert meditators didn’t show much alpha activityso it leads us to suspect that there are really important differences between different levels of expertise.”
Brain Waves Synchronize in Long-Term Meditators
When neuroscientists analyze brain wave data collected via EEGthey assess many waveform characteristicsincluding amplitudefrequencyshapeand locationInterestinglythe brain waves of extensive meditators show distinct patterns.
Davidson and a team of researchers studied EEG brain-wave data from Tibetan Buddhist monks whom had individually accumulated 10,000 to 50,000 meditation hoursEach monk had also completed at least one three-year meditation retreat during which they meditated for eight hours per day.
The researchers found that gamma waves synchronized across distant regions of each monk’s brainindicating that neurons on both sides of the brain were firing at the same timeSince this is rarely seen in non-meditatorsthe result indicates thatfor highly experienced practitionersmeditation does indeed cause state changes to the neuronal landscape and connectivity of brain tissue.
“These practitioners often report that they are in a mode of open awareness,Davidson explainswhich means they are aware of more information in a given moment than other peopleThis can lead to memory challengesthe thinning of brain tissueand overall cognitive declineThey analyzed brain scans of a Tibetan Buddhist monkMingyur Rinpochewho had meditated for an impressive 62,000 hoursWhen asked how to begin a meditation practicehe says“For people who are just beginningit’s really important to take a gentle approach and not fight with your mindRathermake friends with your mind and gradually ease into it.He recommends beginning with just a few minutes of mindfulness a day.
For some peoplemindfulness meditation is an approachable place to beginFor othersa focused-attention practice that involves concentrating on a mantraideaor object is an easier starting point because it includes thinking about something specificStill others might prefer a constructive form of meditationsuch as loving-kindnesswhich entails the creation of compassionate thoughts toward oneself and others.
To this endDavidson offers a free wellness app through his nonprofitHealthy Minds Innovationsthat provides a four-pronged path to developing the skills necessary for mental wellness.
