Dr. Richie Davidson

Dr. Richie Davidson — also known as Richard J. Davidson — is an American neuroscientist and psychologist who studies the brain's role in emotion and well-being. He is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he founded and directs the Center for Healthy Minds, and he is widely recognized for pioneering the scientific study of meditation and contemplative practice. Below you'll find Dr. Richie Davidson's practices and teachings shared on Mindfulness Exercises.

Davidson earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from New York University and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1976. He has been a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin–Madison since 1984, and in addition to the Center for Healthy Minds he founded the affiliated nonprofit Healthy Minds Innovations, which works to translate well-being research into practical tools.

Much of his research examines the neural bases of emotion and what he calls emotional style, alongside methods for cultivating human flourishing. He has studied long-term meditation practitioners as well as people new to practice, helping to bring contemplative traditions into rigorous neuroscientific study. A longtime friend of the 14th Dalai Lama, Davidson has been a central figure in the dialogue between Buddhist contemplative practice and modern brain science.

He is the author, with Sharon Begley, of "The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live—and How You Can Change Them" (2012), and the co-author, with Daniel Goleman, of "Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body" (2017). His work has helped shape how mindfulness and meditation are understood as trainable skills with measurable effects on the brain.