More interesting were the differences between activity. By contrast, the undergraduate controls the so-called adepts and the novices. In the showed no such differences between the left and former, was significantly greater activation in right prefrontal cortex. This suggests, says a brain network linked to empathy and maternal Davidson, that the positive state is a skill that can love. Connections from the frontal regions, so be trained. active during compassion meditation, to the For the monks as well as the patients with brain's emotional regions seemed to become depression or OCD, the conscious act of thinking stronger with more years of meditation practice, about their thoughts in a particular way rearranged as if the brain had forged more robust connections the brain. The discovery of neuroplasticity, in between thinking and feeling. particular the power of the mind to change the But perhaps the most striking difference was brain, is still too new for scientists, let alone the in an area in the left prefrontal cortex--the site of rest of us, to grasp its full meaning. But even as it activity that marks happiness. While the monks offers new therapies for illnesses of the mind, it were generating feelings of compassion, activity promises something more fundamental: a new in the left prefrontal swamped activity in the right understanding of what it means to be human. prefrontal (associated with negative moods) to a . degree never before seen from purely mental © 2007 Time Magazine source:
More interesting were the differences between the so-called adepts and the novices. In the former, was significantly greater activation in a brain network linked to empathy and maternal love. Connections from the frontal regions, so active during compassion meditation, to the brain's emotional regions seemed to become stronger with more years of meditation practice, as if the brain had forged more robust connections between thinking and feeling. But perhaps the most striking difference was in an area in the left prefrontal cortex--the site of activity that marks happiness. While the monks were generating feelings of compassion, activity in the left prefrontal swamped activity in the right prefrontal (associated with negative moods) to a degree never before seen from purely mental activity. By contrast, the undergraduate controls showed no such differences between the left and right prefrontal cortex. This suggests, says Davidson, that the positive state is a skill that can be trained. For the monks as well as the patients with depression or OCD, the conscious act of thinking about their thoughts in a particular way rearranged the brain. The discovery of neuroplasticity, in particular the power of the mind to change the brain, is still too new for scientists, let alone the rest of us, to grasp its full meaning. But even as it offers new therapies for illnesses of the mind, it promises something more fundamental: a new understanding of what it means to be human. . © 2007 Time Magazine source:
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