Does Meditation Actually Work? Simple Science on Mental Wellness, Creativity, and Happiness

Andrew
Andrew
Aug 31, 2018 · 7 min read

Sometimes we need to take a step back, look around, and choose the best places to spend our energy and time — the “stuff that life is made of” according to Benjamin Franklin. This article was written by a GoPeer tutor intrigued by the scientific basis for meditation, and how mindfulness can help us gain perspective.

Practiced widely in Eastern Asia, Buddhism is the world’s fourth largest religion with over 370 million followers (Wangu). However, the religion’s impact on the global society and culture transcends just its practitioners. Buddhist doctrines, ideologies, and practices have become widely accepted in many different cultures, with increasing popularity in Western Society. This “universal appeal” can be chiefly attributed to the philosophy of the religion’s founder, Siddhartha Gautama. Also known as the first Buddha, or “Awakened One,” Gautama established Buddhism over 2,500 years ago in Northern India (Wangu). Propagating the tenet that life is a cycle of reincarnation afflicted with suffering and that desire is the root of such suffering, the Buddha taught a path to enlightenment. In conjunction with high moral ethics, he practiced meditation as the vehicle to bring him along this path. Millennia later, meditation has remained a vital element of Buddhism and has helped countless others reach Buddhahood. Because of its simple theory and passive nature, Buddhist meditation has frequently fallen subject to criticism regarding its effectiveness (Buswell). However, modern cognitive science suggests that Buddhist meditation is, in fact, an effective practice as it neurologically alters the brain to ultimately achieve its purpose.

Stone statue of Siddhartha Gautama

Prior to validating meditation as an effective practice, one must first question what it means to be effective. According to its definition, being effective means to achieve an intended purpose. In order to logically deem meditation effective, then, one must first assign it a purpose.[2] Although different interpretations lend themselves to different beliefs, the commonly upheld purpose of Buddhist meditation is to achieve absolute, inner contentedness and focus (Davis). In short, Buddhist meditation is transformation. This intended transformation is not physical, but mental. The change brings one from Mind A to Mind B. Mind A is the mindset of an average person; one “which seeks only to satisfy desire and avoid discomforts” (Lama 149). Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama teaches that at Mind A, one is “controlled by powerful thoughts and emotions, which in turn give rise to negative states of mind.” He continues, “it is by this vicious circle that [one] perpetuates not only [his] unhappiness but also that of others” (149). Kyle Davis, a meditation instructor at the Atisha Kadampa Buddhist Center, adds that at Mind A, one is afflicted with “inward delusions,” such as unhappiness, stress, anxiety, or distraction.” Unlike Mind A, Mind B is ridden of “inward delusions,” and is content, focused, and at peace. Davis defines such a state not “as the artificial and fleeting happiness like you get when eating chocolate,” but rather, “true internal enlightenment.” The Dalai Lama adds that this state “avoids being distracted by concern” (Lama 149). In regard to these two mentalities, the purpose of Buddhist meditation is to change someone from Mind A to Mind B.

While the theory and intentions of meditation are clear, one may question whether the practice can be proven successful. Although quite recent, neuroscientific studies suggest that the practice does induce neural change from Mind A to Mind B. One of the foremost transformations studied is the improvement of concentration, and the development of a more focused mind. A recent study conducted with fMRI technology at Yale University “found that mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts — a.k.a., ‘monkey mind’” (Walton). As a result of this decrease in “wind-wandering,” meditators are able to engage in enhanced levels of concentration and focus. A similar study by neuroscientist Giuseppe Pagnoni, “found that meditation not only changes brain patterns, but it also confers advantages in mental focus that may improve cognitive performance” (Gowin). With higher levels of focus and the ability to reign in distracting thoughts, meditators have consistently been shown to perform better than non- meditators on focus based tests. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte found that “On one particularly challenging computer test of sustained attention, students who meditated did 10 times better than a control group” (Cloud). The common thread amongst countless neuroscientific studies is this: meditation physiologically alters the brain to become more focused, more attentive, and less prone to distraction.

Hand in hand with meditation’s ability to improve focus, is its ability to reduce and abolish one’s “inward delusions,” primarily being feelings of unhappiness, stress and anxiety. With an enhanced ability to regulate the mind’s thoughts and attention, meditators can actually better achieve happiness. Andy Puddicombe, a Buddhist monk and TedX speaker, asserts, “constant mind wandering is almost a direct cause of unhappiness.” In like manner, Pagnoni’s results suggest that “By controlling the brain regions responsible for letting the mind wander to gloomy thoughts, someone with the blues may be able to keep their mind trained on the positive”(Gowin). While meditation increases one’s contentedness by giving them the ability to ignore and sift out unwanted thoughts, it similarly helps reduce stress and anxiety. A study conducted at Harvard in 2011 studied found that meditation caused “decreases in brain cell volume in the amygdala, which is responsible for fear, anxiety, and stress — and these changes matched the participants’ self-reports of their stress levels, indicating that meditation not only changes the brain, but it changes our subjective perception and feelings as well” (Walton). Meditation’s stress and anxiety reduction quality has gained widespread support and confirmation from countless medical experts. Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, “a psychiatrist at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School,” affirms “meditation makes perfect sense for treating anxiety.” She elaborates, “People with anxiety have a problem dealing with distracting thoughts that have too much power. They can’t distinguish between a problem-solving thought and a nagging worry that has no benefit” (qtd. in Corliss). It increasingly becomes evident the dissolvement of such “inward delusions” is a direct result of meditation’s physiological capacity to improve the brain’s focus and thought processing ability. Through the ability to judge which thoughts their focus is given to, meditators can attain a state of inner contentedness devoid of stress, anxiety, and unhappiness.

By manipulating the brain’s plasticity, Buddhist meditation achieves its purpose to induce a state of inner connectedness and focus. Although “not a panacea,” this practice has proven effective in transforming countless minds and producing people with an improved quality of life (Walton). In addition to the benefits elucidated above, Buddhist meditation can help slow the aging of the brain, function as an antidepressant, help addiction recovery, improve creativity, increase the rate of information processing, and even decrease the risk of heart attack or stroke (Walton, 4 Scientific Studies). Along with the others previously described, these reasons are largely accountable for the increasing popularity of Buddhist meditation in Western culture. While more and more citizens of countries such as the United States adopt Buddhist meditative techniques, yet another benefit of the practice emerges: its universal practicability. Considering this profound characteristic, meditation actually functions as a paradigm for the entire religion. Like its meditation, in its ideal form Buddhism is neither exclusive, nor discriminative (Lama 152). It is for this profound appeal that in the past few centuries, Buddhism has expanded from its Asian origins and is constantly gaining more global practitioners. This burgeoning population is not likely to reach a halt, for, as the Buddha said, Buddhism “is like the sky, it has room for all” (Wangu).

Works Cited

4 Scientific Studies on How Meditation Can Affect Your Heart, Brain and Creativity. Perf. Andy Puddicombe. TEDx. TED Blog, 11 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 May 2015.

Buswell, Robert E., Jr., and Donald S. Lopez, Jr. “10 Misconceptions about Buddhism.” Tricycle. The Tricycle Foundation, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 May 2015.

Cloud, John. “Losing Focus? Studies Say Meditation May Help.” Time. Time Inc., 06 Aug. 2010. Web. 27 May 2015.

Corliss, Julie. “Mindfulness Meditation May Ease Anxiety, Mental Stres.” Harvard Health Publications. Harvard Health Blog, 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 27 May 2015.

Davis, Kyle. Personal interview. 22 May 2015.

Gowin, Joshua. “Brain Scans Show How Meditation Improves Mental Focus.” Psychology Today. You, Illuminated, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 May 2015.

Lama, Dalai. The Essential Dalai Lama: His Important Teachings Collected by His Holiness. Ed. Mehrotra Rajiv. Toronto: Penguin, 2005. Print.

Walton, Alice G. “7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 May 2015.

Wangu, Madhu Bazaz. “Introduction.” World Religions Online. Infobase Learning., n.d. Web. 25 May 2015.

GoPeer

The GoPeer Blog is the official blog of GoPeer, a company which connects K-12 students to college students for in-person tutoring lessons.

Andrew

Written by

Andrew

Andrew is a student at Dartmouth College and a member of the GoPeer community. He is passionate about helping K-12 students achieve success and avoid stress!

GoPeer

GoPeer

The GoPeer Blog is the official blog of GoPeer, a company which connects K-12 students to college students for in-person tutoring lessons.

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