Just a few weeks of meditation can improve human brain functioning, according to a recent study led by scientists at Binghamton University and the State University of New York.
The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’. Millions of people around the world seek mental clarity through meditation, most of the following or inspired by the centuries-old practices of Buddhism.
Anecdotally, those who meditate say it helps to calm their minds, recenter their thoughts, and cut through the “noise” to show what really matters.
Scientifically, though, showing the effects of meditation on the human brain has proved to be tricky.
The study from Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science tracked how practising meditation for just a couple of months changed the brain patterns of 10 students in the University’s Scholars Program.
The seed for the research came from a casual chat between Assistant Professor Weiying Dai and lecturer George Weinschenk, MA ‘01, PhD ‘07, both from the Department of Computer Science. Weinschenk is a longtime meditation practitioner whose wife worked as an administrator at the Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, which is the North American seat of the Dalai Lama’s personal monastery.
“I developed very close friendships with several of the monks. We would hang out together, and I even received instruction from some of the Dalai Lama’s teachers. I took classes there, I read a lot and I earned a three-year certificate in Buddhist studies,” he said.