Much research has been done to study meditation in the last 50 years or more. This extensive body of research has also revealed numerous psychological benefits of meditation that most committed meditators can testify to. While it may be a new field of exploration for Western science, mind-body connections are not new to spiritual sciences.
Much attention has been paid to the physiological benefits of meditation and they are numerous. All the physiological benefits of meditation naturally have a corresponding benefit on a psychological level.
The reduction of stress at a physiological level that meditation provides, produces a reduction in feelings of anxiety at a psychological level. A methodical review of nearly 150 studies showed that meditation practice was clearly more effective in reducing anxiety than other techniques. Sometimes the anxiety becomes paralyzing and overwhelming in the form of panic attacks. Panic attacks are often treated with medication, but studies by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic of medical centers, show that if people who are Succeptable for panic attacks begin concentrated, meditative breathing as soon as they feel the first signs of an attack, they are significantly less likely to have a full episode.
Meditation has also been consistently shown to reduce depression, aggression, and unstable emotions. Psychologists interpret this as an indicator of the growth of a more stable, balanced and resistant personality. Another review, looking at statistics from more than forty independent research studies, found that meditation effectively increases self-actualization (a broad assessment of positive mental health and self-development). Further studies revealed that meditation is remarkably effective in progressing three separate characteristics of self-actualization, being, emotional maturity, a strong and resilient sense of self, and a positive, cohesive view of self and the world.
Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and isolation are hallmarks of depression, which is America’s most common mental health problem. Meditation has been found to increase both self-confidence and feelings of connection with others. Numerous studies have shown that people who experience depression feel much better after experiencing the “relaxation response” from meditation. Meditation practice has also been shown to reduce relapse rates by 50%. Brain scan studies show that meditation changes activity in the prefrontal cortex (behind the forehead) from the right to the left hemisphere. People who have a negative disposition tend to be right prefrontal dominant, while those who are left prefrontal dominant have more enthusiasm, interests, are more relaxed and tend to be happier.
Research on meditation has shown significant improvements in mental health, memory, concentration, and productivity. Studies that tested beginning meditators using a button-press task that required speed and concentration showed that performance was better during 40 minutes of meditation than after a 40-minute nap.
Meditators notice more, but react more calmly than non-meditators to emotional stimuli. Those with tobacco, alcohol, and food addictions who have been taught meditation break their addictions with significantly lower relapse rates than those who receive standard therapies.
High school kids who practice meditation show better work habits, attendance, and GPA (grade point average).
Meditators’ brain scans show thicker regions of the cortex associated with higher functions such as memory and decision-making.
Meditation seems to slow aging. Those who meditated five years or more were 12 years younger than their chronological age. Obviously, this has both physical and mental benefits.
Meditation in general can help most people feel less anxious and have more control. The awareness that meditation brings can also be a source of personal insight and self-understanding.
Research results will continue to highlight specific points of benefit from meditation, and this will only help broaden the acceptance of meditation in the wider culture. This type of research can analyze in detail the subtle chemical changes in the brain and body that the practice of meditation produces. You can also measure psychological improvements, all this data from reductionist science, however, does not really help us to understand meditation.
The first thing that leads to these benefits is not the practice of meditation itself, but the desire and commitment to do it. Wanting to meditate and being willing to do so indicates a desire for greater self-awareness and well-being. It is the willingness to take the time to be with yourself, whatever happens. This in itself is a huge step for many people. Modern culture is completely geared towards personal distraction through an endless barrage of images and information. The focus is completely external and encourages the perpetuation of desire.
Each one of us, regardless of the circumstances of life, carries within us pains and fears of the past. For the vast majority of us, for the vast majority of the time, these feelings, emotions, and their corresponding beliefs influence us subconsciously. Meditation creates the opportunity for our attention to turn inward and for these things to become aware. Without this conscious awareness of our inner fears, pains, and limiting beliefs, the usual tendency is to project them onto other people and the world at large. Through the practice of meditation, as these things reveal themselves within us, we can expand the depth of our self-awareness, self-responsibility, and develop a growing empathy for others.
For those who like lists, the psychological benefits of meditation are …
– Increased coherence of brain waves.
– Greater creativity.
– Decreased anxiety.
– Decrease in depression
– Decrease in irritability and bad mood.
– Improved learning capacity and memory.
– Increased self-realization.
– Increased feeling of vitality and rejuvenation.
– Greater happiness.
– Greater emotional stability.
– Greater ability to learn and better learning achievements.
– Greater ability to solve problems.
– Increased productivity.
– Greater concentration.
– Stronger feelings of happiness and satisfaction.
– Greater self-acceptance and empathy
– Greater self-confidence
– Greater spontaneity.
– Greater emotional stability.
– Greater self-awareness
– Greater equanimity
