Medition Improves Memory
A new meditation study has found that daily meditation can improve memory in individuals with memory complaints. The study, which doesn’t elaborate on the kind of meditation practice involved, found “dramatic increases in blood flow… to the region of the brain associated with learning and memory.” This area is the first to decline in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Stay Young by Practicing Zen Meditation
Another report on the anti-aging effects of meditation; this time specifically related to Zen:
Zen meditation, a Buddhist practice, is centered on attentional and postural self-regulation and scientists believe that its regular practice may affect the normal age-related decline of cerebral gray matter volume and attentional performance observed in healthy individuals.
U of T Mindfulness Study
The Toronto Star reports on two Buddhist researchers from the University of Toronto who asked a group of meditators to keep a Mindfulness Diary in which they rated “their meditating behaviour as soon as they open their eyes and stop practising.” They found a huge amount of variability in the responses, but discovered that people who reported being “more present-focused and tranquil during meditation said they felt less stressed, depressed and anxious at the end of the study”. The pair are going to undertake a larger follow-up study, and hope to eventually make mindfulness an accepted part of the medical profession.
Vipassana Attentional Blink Study
A new study, with a synopsis available here, has found that after 3 months of intense Vipassana meditation training (10-12 hours each day) practitioners participating in the “attentional blink” test showed substantially improved detection of the second target in the test. 16 out of 23 of the novice group, who were given a one hour meditation training course and who meditated 20 minutes once a day in the week prior to the testing showed a similar but less profound improvement.
University of Pennsylvania Study
A new University of Pennsylvania study has found that “even for those new to the practice, meditation enhanced performance and the ability to focus attention.” The study, which will be published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, suggests meditation as a means of improving focus and cognitive ability. The study found that the benefits of meditation were measurable even for those new to the practice.