Meditation Shown to Light Up Brains of Buddhists

Towlie · Post by **Towlie** » 2003-05-23 01:07pm

Here's some fodder for this forum:

Meditation Shown to Light Up Brains of Buddhists

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?yp ... ID=2787394

LONDON (Reuters) - Buddhists really are happy, calm and serene people -- at least according to their brain scans.
Using new scanning techniques, neuroscientists have discovered that certain areas of the brain light up constantly in Buddhists, and not just when they are meditating, which indicates positive emotions and good mood.

"We can now hypothesize with some confidence that those apparently happy, calm Buddhist souls one regularly comes across in places such as Dharamsala, India, really are happy," Professor Owen Flanagan, of Duke University in North Carolina, said Wednesday.

Dharamsala is the home base of exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.

The scanning studies by scientists at the University of Wisconsin at Madison showed activity in the left prefrontal lobes of experienced Buddhist practitioners. The area is linked to positive emotions, self-control and temperament.

Other research by Paul Ekman, of the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, suggests that meditation and mindfulness can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear memory.

Ekman discovered that experienced Buddhists were less likely to be shocked, flustered, surprised or as angry as other people.

Flanagan believes that if the findings of the studies can be confirmed they could be of major importance.

"The most reasonable hypothesis is that there is something about conscientious Buddhist practice that results in the kind of happiness we all seek," Flanagan said in a report in New Scientist magazine.

EvilGrey · Post by **EvilGrey** » 2003-05-23 01:17pm

Cool, but I think most people already suspected meditation had such effects on the brain.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-05-23 01:33pm

hey, cool! I can make my brain light up like a disco ball!

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2003-05-23 01:44pm

Mmmm, Buddhism. Better than drugs...

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-05-23 02:27pm

3rd Impact wrote:Mmmm, Buddhism. Better than drugs...

Or do like the hippies: Combine both!

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2003-05-23 04:38pm

suggests that meditation and mindfulness can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear memory.

In other words, introspection and self control can help you control you emotions. This really shouldn't be a suprise to anyone; and in fact, I don't see why we should link these particular traits, and benefits, to one particular religion, its just one of several parths to the same end.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-05-23 05:11pm

I remember watching a documentary on smoething like this, when a buddhist (or anyone who plans on becoming one with god/the universe through their religion) really focusses, they cane reduce bloodflow or at least stymy(sp) activity in the part of the brain which controls how we percieve space and time.

So they have a sense of not being localised, becoming one with everything...cool eh?

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-05-23 06:14pm

In otherwords, meditation is the slow way to getting pot highs. When is the DEA going to ban meditation??

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2003-05-23 11:19pm

BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:
suggests that meditation and mindfulness can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear memory.
In other words, introspection and self control can help you control you emotions. This really shouldn't be a suprise to anyone; and in fact, I don't see why we should link these particular traits, and benefits, to one particular religion, its just one of several parths to the same end.

It's not the religion they are studying it's the meditation. Psychologists, and other head shrinks, have theorized that control comes from self reflection but now we have conclusive proof.

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-05-23 11:30pm

Well DUH. This is news how exactly?

I think it's fucking awesome how people can tame their brains like that. Buddhism is an awesome religion to boot.

Now if only I can tame my amygdala. I get sooo fucking scared and paranoid about such fucking completely idiotic things that I'm pretty sure it's a physical problem in my head rather than a psychological pattern, though I'm very certain that's a big part of it.

*Ultraviolence83 gains more inspiration to get off his lazy ass and start mediating regularily rather than once every month.*

UltraViolence83 · Post by **UltraViolence83** » 2003-05-23 11:36pm

I should also point out that people who don't get pissed or scared at anything seem to be "burned out" mentally to me. I think all that extra brain activity while meditating does it.