People have been practicing mindfulness for thousands of years, but only recently has science been able to gain insight into the neurological underpinnings of mindful meditation. Tools such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans let scientists look at brain structure and activity during many human experiences, including meditation. Research on the science of mindfulness is still growing, and much of it is early.
In a 2015 article in The Washington Post, Manoj Jain, an infectious-disease physician and adjunct assistant professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, calls neuroscience studies on meditation intriguing. He writes:
“One study found that long-term meditators had greater volume of gray matter in the insula and prefrontal cortices, regions of the brain activated during learning, memory processes and emotional regulation. Another found a decrease in the volume of the amygdala region, which is involved in processing the emotions of fear.”
In other words, one study found more gray matter in the insula and prefrontal cortices of people who had meditated for many years, and another found a smaller amygdala region. Jain adds that scientists say it is unclear what, if anything, these brain changes mean for someone’s behavior or life. In a 2011 Huffington Post blog post, Elisha Goldstein, PhD, writes that areas of the brain connected to empathy and compassion are also showing growth with mindfulness practice.
These sources describe differences in the brain, not proof of what causes them or what they mean day to day. Still, they help explain why so many people are curious about what meditation does in the brain, and why researchers keep studying it.
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