Meditation and its effects on the body and brain are increasingly coming to the attention of scientists. For example, there are already research results on how meditation affects the aging process of the body or how it helps to cope with anxiety.
In recent years, mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular, which, according to its adherents, brings many positive results: it reduces stress, reduces the risk of various diseases, reboots the mind and improves well-being. But there is still relatively little evidence for these results, including experimental data. Proponents of this meditation cite a small number of non-representative examples (such as individual Buddhist monks who meditate long hours daily) or studies that were generally not randomized and did not include control groups.
However, a study published recently in the journal ביאָלאָגיקאַל פּסיכיאַטריע, provides a scientific basis for the fact that mindfulness meditation changes the way the brain works in ordinary people and has the potential to improve their health.
To practice mindfulness meditation requires achieving a state of “open and receptive, non-judgmental awareness of one’s existence in the present moment,” says J. David Creswell, associate professor of psychology and director of געזונטהייַט און מענטשלעך פאָרשטעלונג לאַבאָראַטאָריע מיט קאַרנאַגי מעלאַן וניווערסיטעט, who spearheaded this research.
One of the challenges of meditation research is the placebo problem (as Wikipedia explains, a placebo is a substance with no apparent healing properties, used as a drug, the therapeutic effect of which is associated with the patient’s belief in the efficacy of the drug). In such studies, some participants receive treatment and others receive a placebo: in this case, they believe that they are receiving the same treatment as the first group. But people are usually able to understand whether they are meditating or not. Dr. Creswell, with the support of scientists from a number of other universities, has succeeded in creating the illusion of mindfulness meditation.
Initially, 35 unemployed men and women were selected for the study, who were looking for work and were experiencing significant stress. They took blood tests and performed brain scans. Then half of the subjects received formal instruction in mindfulness meditation; the rest underwent a course of imaginary meditation practice that focused on relaxation and distraction from worries and stress (for example, they were asked to do stretching exercises). The group of meditators had to pay close attention to bodily sensations, including unpleasant ones. The relaxation group was allowed to communicate with each other and ignore body sensations while their leader joked and joked.
After three days, all participants told the researchers that they felt refreshed and easier to deal with the problem of their unemployment. However, brain scans of the subjects showed changes only in those who practiced mindfulness meditation. There has been increased activity in areas of the brain that process stress responses and other areas associated with concentration and calmness. In addition, even four months later, those in the mindfulness meditation group had lower levels of an unhealthy marker of inflammation in their blood than those in the relaxation group, although only a few continued to meditate.
Dr. Creswell and colleagues believe that changes in the brain contributed to the subsequent reduction in inflammation, although how exactly remains unknown. It is also unclear if three days of continuous meditation is necessary to get the desired result: “We still have no idea about the ideal dose,” says Dr. Creswell.