Scientific Research Articles

Improves concentration:

• By increasing the thickness of regions of the brain that control attention improves our ability to control the focus of our attention. (Lazar et al. 2005)

• By activating and strengthening the connection between two parts of the brain related to regulating circuits: the stronger this connection, the greater the ability to regulate attention, the lower the rambling of the mind. (Judson Brewer et al. 2011)

• By improving quality and controlling attention, the human mind wanders less.

       (Michael D. Mrazek et al. 2012) (Michael D. Mrazek et al. 2013)

 

Increases empathy and self-awareness

• By improving the connection between parts of the brain that are involved both in the awareness of ourselves and in empathy for others. (Lazar et al. 2005).

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Improves Well-Being

• Increases activation of the left prefrontal cortex, an area responsible for pleasant emotions such as joy, interest, or mood. (This part of the brain "puts a brake" on unpleasant emotions like those involved in anxiety.) (Davidson 2003).

• Review of multiple scientific studies that relate Attention to Health. (Jazaieri, Shapiro 2017).

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Improves Immune Response

• A higher and more significant number of influenza virus antibodies have been detected in mindfulness meditation practitioners when compared to non-meditators after all have been vaccinated against influenza. (Davidson et al., 2003).

 

Slows cell aging

• Finding that after a three-month meditation retreat (about 540 hours in total), practitioners showed an increase in telomerase activity in their immune cells, even five months after the retreat. Telomerase is involved in cell aging. (Tonya Jacobs et al. 2010).

• Mindfulness can have a beneficial impact on telomere length by reducing cognitive stress and may reduce cell aging. (Epel et al. 2009).

 

Reduces Symptoms of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

• Decreased mood disorders and stress symptoms in cancer patients. (Speca, et al. 2000)

• Increasing psychological well-being and resilience to stress in public school teachers. (Wilson D. et al. 2022)

• Review of multiple articles related to mindfulness and stress. (Chiesa & Serretti, 2009)

 

Improves Emotional Regulation / Decreased Emotional Reactivity

• Slowing down the activation of the tonsil, which is responsible for the "alarm tone" in the brain.

      (Stein et al. 2008)

• Reducing tonsil activation to negative stimulations in experienced mindfulness meditators has improved the link between the tonsil and the brain region involved in emotional regulation for novice meditators. Reduced emotional reactivity. (Kral et al. 2018) (Desbordes G et al. 2012)

 

Rumination Reduction

• Mindfulness reduced distracting and ruminant thoughts and behaviors, reducing stress and improving mood. (Shamini Jain et al. 2007)

 

Improves sleep quality

• Participants with breast cancer from a mindfulness course and who reported a higher practice of mindfulness significantly improved the quality of sleep associated with a decrease in stress. (Shapiro et al. 2003).

• Review of the effect of meditation as a phenomenon of sleep regulation. (Nagendra et al, 2012)

 

For more detailed scientific information on the neuroscience of meditation and mindfulness and its subsequent effects on the body and human health:

• Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Modifies Mind, Brain, and Body, by Dr. Richard Davidson and Dr. Daniel Goleman (New York: Avery, 2017)

• Brandmeyer T, Delorme A, Wahbeh H. (2019) The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Prog Brain Res. 244, 1.