The Science of Meditation

In the past decade, scientific research on meditation has exploded. We’re just beginning to understand how this ancient practice impacts the physical brain and body, but the initial results are exciting.

Below are major benefits, brain changes, mechanisms, and other areas of meditation science based on the latest studies.

Harvard Professor Dr. Matthew Sacchet studying the brains of monks. Tap the image to check out The Meditation Research Program at Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Cognitive Benefits

Meditation offers various proven benefits for the mind. With consistent practice, it has the potential to enhance nearly every area of mental wellbeing and productivity.*

Physiological Benefits

The nervous system (brain and its communication network) runs throughout your body, linking with the endocrine system, gastrointestinal tract, and every other key area of biological function. Since mind and body are deeply connected, it’s no surprise that meditation can also impact one’s physical condition.

Common Psychological Mechanisms

Why does meditation have such a wide variety of benefits? While there are hundreds of meditation types, nearly all leverage these five mechanisms:

Trains voluntary command of attention (self-regulation)
Calms the nervous system, putting you in a relaxed state
Diminishes self-referential thought (the narrating mind)
Improves metacognition, giving you more self-awareness
Reconditions habitual patterns of thought and behavior

They are interconnected. For example, most techniques train your ability to regulate attention by improving self-awareness (metacognition), enabling you to recondition bad habits or calm down in stressful situations.

Active Brain Regions (Neural Correlates)

Meditation is an umbrella term, like “exercise,” that covers over 300 unique methods. So to study them, some scientists break these up into four major categories: Focused Attention (e.g., Breath Focus), Loving-Kindness (e.g., Good Vibes), Open Monitoring (e.g., Noting), and Non-Dual (e.g., Natural Flow). Each type employs specific parts of the brain.

Focused Attention:
- Prefrontal cortex, implying attentional control
- Anterior cingulate cortex, possibly related to self-regulation
- Memory and conceptual processing areas deactivated
Loving-Kindness:
- Insula, associated with bodily awareness and feelings
- Part of the parietal lobe, also linked with internal feelings
Open Monitoring:
- Prefrontal cortex, associated with voluntary control
- Insula activated, implying heightened sensory awareness
- Right thalamus deactivated, possibly indicating less sensory gating
Non-Dual:
- Less research than the other three categories
- Two major attention networks balanced
- Posterior cingulate cortex deactivated, implying effortlessness
- Precuneus implicated as a key node

Changes in the Brain

Although meditation produces immediate altered mental states, it can also lead to longer-lasting altered traits over time. The brain rewires itself according to the principles of neuroplasticity. Below is some preliminary research conducted on experienced meditators.

Enlarged prefrontal cortex — Responsible for rational decision-making
Smaller amygdala — Emotional/fear center of the brain
Thicker hippocampus — Key for learning and memory
Overall denser grey matter — Brain cell bodies critical for processing power and intelligence
Increased high-amplitude gamma brainwave activity — Linked to heightened awareness and feelings of bliss
Decreased default mode network activity — Connected brain regions associated with mind-wandering

Ongoing Projects

The Science of Enlightenment at Harvard
Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison