Meditation Shown to Light Up Brains of Buddhists

[Guest guest]

I thought this was interesting...

Be Well,

Misty

http://www..com

 

Meditation Shown to Light Up Brains of Buddhists

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Buddhists really are happy, calm and serene

people -- at least according to their brain scans.

 

 

Using new scanning techniques, neuroscientists have discovered that

certain areas of the brain light up constantly in Buddhists, which

indicates positive emotions and good mood. This happens at times

even when they are not meditating.

 

 

" We can now hypothesize with some confidence that those apparently

happy, calm Buddhist souls one regularly comes across in places such

as Dharamsala, India, really are happy, " Professor Owen Flanagan, of

Duke University in North Carolina, said Wednesday.

 

 

Dharamsala is the home base of exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.

 

 

The scanning studies by scientists at the University of Wisconsin at

Madison showed activity in the left prefrontal lobes of experienced

Buddhist practitioners. The area is linked to positive emotions,

self-control and temperament.

 

 

Other research by Paul Ekman, of the University of California San

Francisco Medical Center, suggests that meditation and mindfulness

can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear

memory.

 

 

Ekman discovered that experienced Buddhists were less likely to be

shocked, flustered, surprised or as angry as other people.

 

 

Flanagan believes that if the findings of the studies can be

confirmed they could be of major importance.

 

 

" The most reasonable hypothesis is that there is something about

conscientious Buddhist practice that results in the kind of

happiness we all seek, " Flanagan said in a report in New Scientist

magazine.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Misty.

 

Now we need a multimillion dollar study proving that birds actually fly.

 

Namaste`

 

Walt

 

-

" Misty L. Trepke " <mistytrepke

 

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 5:48 PM

[s-A] Meditation Shown to Light Up Brains of Buddhists

 

 

> I thought this was interesting...

> Be Well,

> Misty

> http://www..com

>

> Meditation Shown to Light Up Brains of Buddhists

>

> LONDON (Reuters) - Buddhists really are happy, calm and serene

> people -- at least according to their brain scans.

>

>

> Using new scanning techniques, neuroscientists have discovered that

> certain areas of the brain light up constantly in Buddhists, which

> indicates positive emotions and good mood. This happens at times

> even when they are not meditating.

>

>

> " We can now hypothesize with some confidence that those apparently

> happy, calm Buddhist souls one regularly comes across in places such

> as Dharamsala, India, really are happy, " Professor Owen Flanagan, of

> Duke University in North Carolina, said Wednesday.

>

>

> Dharamsala is the home base of exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.

>

>

> The scanning studies by scientists at the University of Wisconsin at

> Madison showed activity in the left prefrontal lobes of experienced

> Buddhist practitioners. The area is linked to positive emotions,

> self-control and temperament.

>

>

> Other research by Paul Ekman, of the University of California San

> Francisco Medical Center, suggests that meditation and mindfulness

> can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear

> memory.

>

>

> Ekman discovered that experienced Buddhists were less likely to be

> shocked, flustered, surprised or as angry as other people.

>

>

> Flanagan believes that if the findings of the studies can be

> confirmed they could be of major importance.

>

>

> " The most reasonable hypothesis is that there is something about

> conscientious Buddhist practice that results in the kind of

> happiness we all seek, " Flanagan said in a report in New Scientist

> magazine.

>

>

>

>

>