(18-12-05)Meditation Improves Your Attention

Buddhist monks have claimed for centuries that meditation helps increase attention and concentration. New findings offer support for this notion.
Increases Thickness of Brain Regions
Researchers at Harvard Medical School examined Westerners who meditated for about 20 minutes every day, but didn't necessarily believe in the tenets of Buddhism. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was used to look at brain parts involved in memory and attention. The thickness of those regions had increased.
Those areas generally shrink as people get older, but older meditators in the study were able to avoid some of that shrinkage. This suggests that a regular meditation practice might help people maintain their ability to remember and focus on details.
Boosts Performance on Attention Tests
Another study indicates that meditation may boost performance on tests that measure attention. A University of Kentucky study showed that 10 people taught to meditate for 40 minutes did better on a test of attention than they did after reading for 40 minutes.
The study also showed that meditation can improve attention worsened by lack of sleep.
Produces a Jump in Brain Waves
A third study, of mostly Buddhist monks, found that meditation produced a jump in brain waves associated with vigilance. The study also showed that meditation activated brain regions involved in attention.

SOURCES: Neuroscience 2005, annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, Nov. 12-16, 2005.

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