Meditation. I'm sure your most common association with the word is a monk sitting cross-legged quietly humming "ommmmm," which isn't a wrong association considering that Buddhist monks spend tens of thousands of hours perfecting the art. Obviously these monks figured out that meditation was inherently good for them. So is there real science behind this ancient practice?
Yes there is! And lots of it. Many studies have been conducted pointing to the positive impacts of meditation, and the results indicate that the effects are far reaching. From lowering blood pressure, to helping treat anxiety and depression, meditation is both physiologically and psychologically beneficial. A study conducted by Harvard at Massachusetts General Hospital, of 16 participants who did an eight-week meditation program found that participants who meditated had significant changes in the brain's gray matter than participants in the control group. (Gray matter is a major part of the central nervous system associated with processing information as well as providing nutrients and energy to neurons.) These changes occurred most prominently in the hippocampus (which manages self-awareness, compassion, and introspection) and in the amygdala. With increased density of the gray matter in the hippocampus coupled with decreased density in the amygdala, (which is responsible for negative emotions, stress, anxiety, etc.), it gives somewhat physical evidence of how meditation can foster improved sense of self, compassion, and happiness.
Although the sample size of this study is small, similar studies under similar conditions have found similar results. Increased grey matter density, though, is only one of the physical changes observed after practicing meditation. T.A. Sciences defines what telomeres are for us and their importance with respect to our health:
"Telomeres are the caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes, like the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces. Without the coating, shoelaces become frayed until they can no longer do their job, just as without telomeres, DNA strands become damaged and our cells can’t do their job. Telomere shortening is involved in all aspects of the aging process on a cellular level. Telomere length represents our biological age as opposed to our chronological age." - T.A. Sciences
An enzyme our body produces called telomerase reverses telomere shortening, as y Wikipedia. A research team measured telomerase activity of participants who completed a three-month intensive meditation retreat vs. a control group matched for age, sex, education, ethnicity, and meditation experience. Telomerase activity was about ONE-THIRD higher in the meditation group than in the control group upon completion of the three-month retreat. The results of this study promote the notion that meditation can improve psychological well-being and also have a profound effect on the fundamental aspects of one's physiology.The amazing part about this is that these types of physical benefits can be experienced by anybody! All you have to do is meditate.
Although the physical changes that meditation yields are remarkable, I believe the biggest impacts come from those gained psychologically. There have been many short studies that indicate regular meditation can significantly increase focus, attention, memory, and cognitive function. Another even said that meditation may be effective to treat depression "to a similar degree as antidepressant drug therapy."
Meditation and all of its impacts may not be fully understood or known to science, but there is already sufficient evidence to conclude that this long-known ancient practice is constructive not to only one's psychological, but also physical well-being. In todays world that is filled with so much hate, anger, and ignorance; I firmly believe that meditation is necessary to rebuild the lack of empathy that most people express on social media outlets. Because without empathy, can we ever hope to foster humanity? If you are interested in what else meditation can do for you, I highly recommend the video below and this blog post for some of the other benefits that I did not mention in this article.
