It's already been a known fact that meditation can do wonders to one's brain activity. Not only does it change the brain's path ways, it also have a positive effect on the body. One of which is the ability to stay calm while in the midst of a stress driven situation. It also relives stress, and it does a positive boost in the body. Psychology Today was able to dig deeper into the brains folds and revealed each change that occurs when one meditates.
As per Forbes, there are actually several ways where in meditation changes the brain. As per the website it helps preserve the brain. Earlier this year a study from UCLA found that people who have been practicing meditation for a long time had better preserved brains that their non-meditative peers of the same age. The website then added that those who practice meditation for an average of 20 years were able to acquire more grey volume all thought the entire brain, though older mediators still had a little volume loss compared to younger ones, but it's not as few as the individuals who do not meditate.
The author of the study Florian Kurth stated that:
"We expected rather small and distinct effects located in some of the regions that had previously been associated with meditating, instead, what we actually observed was a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain."
Aside from brain preservation, mediation also helps in reducing the "Me Center" of the brain. As per the website, a study that was carried out at the Yale University which took place a few years back found out that mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the DMN or also known as default mode network. It is the one responsible for one's self-referential thoughts and for mind-wandering. It is often responsible for causing the mind to be less happy as it triggers the mind to be stressed, worried, and it often brings in irrational thoughts.
Studies revealed that meditation beneficial as it teaches the individual to quiet the mind. In doing so, if the mind would start to wander, people who practice meditation are better in shunning the thoughts.
