How Your Brain Changes When You Meditate

Not long ago, most of us believed that the brain we were born with was fixed – and that after a certain age, the neural circuit "cards" we had were the only ones we possessed to "use" over the long term.

Fast forward a decade or two, and we're confronted with the opposite: the brain is designed to adapt constantly. Renowned neuroscientist Richie Davidson from the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with his colleagues, wants us to understand three things:

  1) you can train your brain to change

  2) the change is measurable,

  3) new ways of thinking can change it for the better.

It's hard to grasp how this is possible. Meditation isn't like taking a pill or some other quick fix that works fast, entering our bloodstream and crossing the blood-brain barrier if necessary, in order to produce an immediate sensation or relief.

But just as we learn to play piano through practice, the same applies to developing wellbeing and happiness. Davidson has stated that the brain continues to change throughout your entire life. He considers this very good news:

"We can intentionally shape the direction of plasticity changes in our brain. By focusing on beneficial thoughts, for example, and directing our intentions that way, we can potentially influence the plasticity of our brain and mold it in advantageous ways. This leads us to the inevitable conclusion that qualities like kindness and wellbeing should be considered as capacities."

Davidson adds that research on neuroplasticity gives neuroscientists a framework for tracking meditation research. And the Institute is beginning to see that “even short amounts of practice”, such as 30 minutes of meditation a day, “can induce measurable changes in the brain”, which can be monitored on a brain scan.

Based on recent research, we've chosen to share four brain changes that can happen if you practice mindfulness:

Increase in Gray Matter / Cortical Thickness in the Following Key Areas:

Anterior Cingulate Cortex: An increase in gray matter has been observed in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a structure located behind the frontal lobe of the brain. It has been associated with functions such as self-regulation processes, including the ability to monitor attention conflicts and to allow greater cognitive flexibility.

Prefrontal cortex: An increase in gray matter density has also been found in areas of the prefrontal lobe, which are primarily responsible for executive function, such as planning, problem-solving, and emotion regulation.

Hippocampus: An increase in cortical thickness in the hippocampus has also been observed. The hippocampus is the part of the limbic system that governs learning and memory, and it is extraordinarily susceptible to stress and stress-related disorders, such as depression or post-traumatic stress.

Decrease in Amygdala Size:

Studies have shown that the amygdala, known as the "fight or flight" center of our brain and the hub of our fear and anxiety emotions, decreases in volume of brain cells after meditation practice.

Reduced or Enhanced Functionality in Certain Networks / Connections:

Not only does the amygdala shrink after practice, but the functional connections between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex are also weakened. This allows for less reactivity and also opens the way for connections between areas associated with higher brain functions to be strengthened (that is, attention, concentration, and so on).

Reduced Activity in the Brain's "Self" Center

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is activated when our minds are wandering and moving from thought to thought, a response that is sometimes compared to rumination and is not always adaptive when it comes to overall wellbeing. The practice of meditation reduces the activation of this "monkey mind".

The impact that practice exerts on our brain comes down to routine: a slow, steady, and consistent evaluation of our realities, and the ability to step back, makes us more alert, more tolerant, less critical, and less reactive. Just as playing piano over and over again over time strengthens and supports the brain networks involved with music reproduction, mindfulness over time can make the brain, and therefore ourselves, more present, with a tendency to respond to the world's challenges in a clear-headed way rather than react without awareness.