Shall we chant in unison about the goodness of meditation, and the peace of mind inherent in practicing mindfulness? Researchers are exploring the impact of meditation on people who have meditated regularly and frequently for years.
Scientists at UCLA’s Brain Mapping Center recently compared 50 people who had mediated for years with 50 who didn’t. People in both groups showed a loss of gray matter as they aged. Among those who meditated, the volume of gray matter did not decline as much as the ones who didn’t meditate. The gray matter is the tissue that’s packed with neurons, those human nerve cells that make things happen and get things done.
Well, even the researchers were surprised by the magnitude of the difference: a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain.
Each group in the study was made up of 28 men and 22 women ranging in age from 24 to 77. Those who meditated had been doing so for four to 46 years, with an average of 20 years.
Although the findings suggest a loss of brain tissue with increasing age regardless of meditation practice— they also suggest that large parts of the gray matter in the brains of those who meditated seemed to be better preserved.
The researchers caution that they cannot draw a direct, causal connection between meditation and preserving gray matter in the brain. Genetic brain differences and other factors (such as diet and exercise routines) may affect those who were studied.
“Still, our results are promising,” UCLA neurologist Dr. Eileen Luders said. “Accumulating scientific evidence that meditation has brain-altering capabilities might ultimately allow for an effective translation from research to practice.”
Luders, E., Cherbuin, N., & Kurth, F. (2014). Forever young(er): Potential age-defying effects of meditation. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1551. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01551