The Relationship Between Meditation, Neuroscience, and Mental Health
Meditation — the practice of utilizing mental and physical techniques to exercise mindfulness, focus, and clearing of the mind — is commonly associated with mental clarity and stability. Though it is a term becoming increasingly popularized through mental health awareness, self-care techniques, and everyday mindful practices, its origins can be traced back to 1500 BCE in India. While meditation can look deceptively simple and uneventful to a spectator, underneath, the brain is paradoxically active and undergoing neurological and chemical changes.
The methods to practice meditation can vary between techniques and preferences, but generally follow as such: choose a peaceful environment and comfortable position, place focus on the body’s senses, and return the mind’s attention to the body when focus begins to dwindle. Through meditation, an individual will, rather than completely clear their mind or focus on their thinking, wade between the middle by simply noticing wandering thoughts and gently returning focus to the body. Consistent practice of meditation can provide a sense of peace, emotional well-being, healthy stress-coping, improved self-images, and increased positivity; in fact, research has shown that meditation can reduce stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The reasons for these results relate back to the activity that occurs in the brain during meditation: as the mind becomes rewired to focus and redirect thoughts, it can reduce levels of cortisol — hormones produced during periods of stress to activate the body’s flight-or-fight response — as well as slow the production of these stress hormones, decreasing overall stress within the body. It can also diminish activity in the amygdala as well as the inflammatory response, indicating a potential long-term resilience to stressors.
Additionally, meditation can reduce or eliminate the continuous jumble of thoughts and worries commonly exhibited by those with anxiety or panic symptoms through a state of relaxation and tranquility. Research using brain imaging techniques has revealed an association between meditation and the activation of several brain regions that mediate worry control and anxiety relief, including: the anterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and anterior insula. A key quality of meditation is central attention to the present moment, utilizing bodily sensations as a guide to awareness of one’s surroundings; during meditation, the neural pathways involved in contemplation display dampened activity, while those involving awareness of emotions and body sensations are increased due to a shifted focus from the individual to their environment, resulting in reduced judgement and rumination. Developing new techniques to cope with stress and anxiety can lessen depressive symptoms and serve as a treatment in some cases by lowering the likelihood of triggering depression and altering emotional reactions to possible triggers.
As research on meditation has grown in recent years, so has scientific skepticism; new research has shown moderate effects of meditation on mental health, or a minimal increase in effectiveness compared to other active treatments. While its role in treatment is being examined, it can be utilized to improve management of symptoms and rewire the brain’s negative responses. New research has shifted focus to personalized meditation and the implications of brain activity to understand its role more effectively.
Written By Serena Segal
Sources:
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Thorpe, M. (n.d.). 12 benefits of meditation. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#1.-Reduces-stress
How meditation helps with depression. (2021, February 12). Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/how-meditation-helps-with-depression
Neuroscience News. (2023, June 7). Unleashing the mind: The neuroscience of meditation and its impact on memory. https://neurosciencenews.com/memory-meditation-23414/
Magazine, S. (n.d.). What happens when you meditate. STANFORD magazine. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/what-happens-when-you-meditate
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Neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. (2021, January 6). Wharton Neuroscience Initiative. https://neuro.wharton.upenn.edu/community/winss_scholar_blog2/
