Brain: Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation

Richard Davidson, one of the world’s top brain scientists, studies how mindfulenss meditation, can change the neural circuitry in our brains and, as a result, how our brains function.

In an an ongoing study of the brains of Buddhist monks, each of whom had accomplished at least 10,000 hours of meditation, Davidson has found that mental practice can:

• change the brain in response to meditation

• induce long-lasting changes in the brain

• improve mental attributes and positive emotions such as compassion and empathy

• potentially alter the “happiness set point” in the brain for the better