
Does Meditation Work?
Yes, and there is new research that shows meditation boosts your health, happiness, and success!
I started meditating soon after 9/11. I was living in Manhattan, an already chaotic place, at an extremely chaotic time.
I realized I had no control over my external environment. But the one place I did have a say over was my mind, through meditation. When I started meditating, I did not realize it would also make me healthier, happier, and more successful. Having witnessed the benefits, I devoted my PhD research at Stanford to studying the impact of meditation. I saw people from diverse backgrounds from college students to combat veterans benefit. In the last 10 years, hundreds of studies have been released.
Here are 20 scientifically-validated reasons you might want to get on the bandwagon today:
It Boosts Your HEALTH
1 – Increases immune function (See here and here)
2 – Decreases Pain (see here)
3 – Decreases Inflammation at the Cellular Level (See here and here and here)
It Boosts Your HAPPINESS
4 – Increases Positive Emotion (here and here)
5 – Decreases Depression (see here)
6 – Decreases Anxiety (see here and here and here)
7 – Decreases Stress (see here and here)
It Boosts Your SOCIAL LIFE
Think meditation is a solitary activity? It may be (unless you meditate in a group which many do!) but it actually increases your sense of connection to others:
8 – Increases social connection & emotional intelligence (see here and – by yours truly – here)
9 – Makes you more compassionate (see here and here and here)
10 – Makes you feel less lonely (see here)
It Boosts Your Self-Control
11 – Improves your ability to regulate your emotions (see here) (Ever flown off the handle or not been able to quiet your mind? Here’s the key)
12 – Improves your ability to introspect (see here & for why this is crucial see this post)
It Changes Your BRAIN (for the better)
13 – Increases grey matter (see here)
14 – Increases volume in areas related to emotion regulation, positive emotions & self-control (see here and here)
15 – Increases cortical thickness in areas related to paying attention (see here)
It Improves Your Productivity (yup, by doing nothing)
16 – Increases your focus & attention (see here and here and here and here)
17 – Improves your ability to multitask (see here)
18 – Improves your memory (see here)
19 – Improves your ability to be creative & think outside the box (see research by J. Schooler)
- It Makes You WISE(R)
Article by Emma Seppala
http://www.emmaseppala.com/20-scientific-reasons-to-start-meditating-today/#.VNGEzMvwvIU