In recent years, meditation has moved from the wellness area into the scientific spotlight. It is now being rigorously studied with tools such as MRI scans, EEGs, eye‐tracking, and biomarkers.
Since I’ve been meditating for decades, I thought it would be interesting to see what the latest research has been finding out about meditation.
What Meditation Does to the Brain and Body
Lert’s start with the structural and functional brain changes that are being reported.
A recent article in Discover Magazine reported that meditation leads to measurable changes in brain structure, especially in regions such as the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), the hippocampus, and the amygdala.
Let’s start with the posterior cingulate cortex. The PCC is associated with mind‐wandering and self‐referential thoughts, and it tends to quiet down in long-term meditators.
Next is the hippocampus, which is integral to learning, memory and executive control. It shows increased grey matter volume and even improved white matter connectivity in meditators.
Third is the amygdala, which is often linked to emotional responses such as fear and anger. In meditators it tends to be physically smaller and less active.
These changes are not just academic. They suggest that meditation may have the capacity to shift the brain’s architecture and functioning in ways that support emotional regulation, attention and possibly even resilience against cognitive decline.
Attention and cognitive focus
How about a powerful change! One study had the participants do 30 days of guided mindfulness meditation, which is a type of meditation, for 10 to15 minutes per day. The partipants improved attention control across all ages from young adults to older adults.
Using eye-tracking software, the researchers also found that meditators had faster reaction times, better goal‐directed eye-movements, and less distractibility (Huh, what did you say???!?!).
So…what does this mean? It means that meditation isn’t just about “feeling calmer.” It appears to improve how the brain processes attention.
Immune, metabolic, and systemic shifts
Some recent research is pushing beyond looking at just what’s happening in the brain. For example, a week-long meditation retreat produced changes not only in brain network activity but also in blood biology as it positively affects immune markers and metabolic signals.
It even showed how blood plasma from participants influenced neuron growth in lab models. This means meditation may influence the whole‐body physiology and not just subjective mental states.
Deep brain activity and emotional regulation
Another study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai used intracranial recordings. This is where electrodes are placed in the brain usually for epilepsy treatment in order to observe the amygdala and hippocampus.
In this study, they used the epilepsy folks to see their response when they meditated. The researchers found that meditation altered beta and gamma wave activity in those regions. These 2 wave lengths are involved with emotional regulation and memory.
The bottom line is that meditation may help people voluntarily modulate the neural circuits underlying anxiety, fear, or memory.
Sustained attention: meta‐analytic evidence
A review of 12 studies (1,447 participants) found that both focused‐attention and open-monitoring meditation approaches enhanced sustained attention in healthy adults.
This means that for people without any clinical medical condition, regular meditation can improve the brain’s capacity to sustain focus, reduce mind-wandering, and reduce errors in attention tasks.
So, What Does This Research Means in Practice
• First of all, meditation is more than relaxation. The research shows measurable structural and functional changes in the brain, improved attention, and systemic physiological effects.
• Even short practice helps. Eye‐tracking studies demonstrate that benefits of attention accrue after just 30 days of guided meditation even in older adults.
• Consistence matters. Most positive findings are tied to meditating daily or close to daily over weeks or months.
• Accessible and low‐cost intervention. Because meditation can be practiced by many people with minimal equipment and cost, it has strong potential as a public‐health tool for cognitive health and emotional well‐being.
• Whole‐body impact. The links between brain, immunity and metabolism are starting to show that meditation could influence aging, stress responses, and possibly disease risk.
So…what’s a few of my experiences since I’ve been meditating for decades.
1. I meditate during most dental procedures without taking a Novocain shot. It has amazed the dental staff.
2. I’ve had 3 hernia surgeries where I meditated, and the surgeon just squirted Novocain into the area to control bleeding. When the surgeon was done, I just opened my eyes.
3. I was in the hospital having my heart checked out a couple of years ago and was wired up with heart monitoring equipment. I decided to do my morning meditation and after about 10 minutes the nurse rushed in and said “Are you all right? Your pulse just dropped from 70 beats per minute to 40!” I assured her that I was totally fine.
4. Last week, I was driving on the Interstate near Richmond, Virginia. The speed limit was 70 mph. All of a sudden, a deer was right in front of the car. I hit the brakes, but it was too close, and I hit the deer on the driver’s side front bumper. I was able to maintain control of the car and brought it to a stop. I didn’t see the deer in my rearview mirror and don’t know what happened to it.
The interesting thing to me is how I was able to react to the situation and maintain control of the car and afterwards I noticed that I never had any adrenalin response from heavy breathing, heart racing or body shaking. I simply opened the glove compartment, took out my insurance card and called my insurance agent to report what happened and file a claim!
Some Final Thoughts
So…the scientific picture of meditation is now richer and growing. Studies are showing that meditation does more than help us “chill out”—it appears to remodel the brain, sharpen attention, and influence the body’s physiology.
If you’d like to learn how to meditate there are lots of resources on the internet. I’ve also written in my book Managing Your Stress in Difficult Times: Succeeding in Times of Change everything you need to know about how to meditate including several techniques. You can purchase the e-book at a discount here - https://www.teplitz.com/ms/Ebook9.html.
Hope you decide to experiment with meditation, it can have a profound effect on your life!
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