Meditation and the Brain

Meditation and the Brain

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

World Events, Mindful Meditation, Net Neutrality, Civics

Episode: World Events, Mindful Meditation, Net Neutrality, Civics

  • Mar 3, 2015 10:00 pm
  • 17:08 mins

(26:38) Guest: Emily Lindsay, graduate student at Carnegie Melon and co-author of a new report on the effects of meditation on the brain  Meditation and mindfulness have, for centuries, been known to improve mental and physical well-being. It can alleviate stress and even loneliness. But only recently have researchers begun to understand why.  “Meditation is a pretty broad and mindfulness meditation is a specific type of meditation. The point is to bring your attention to something and you can choose what that thing is. You can focus on thoughts, your emotion. You are letting these emotions rise and pass. You are really just observing what is happening in the present moment,” says Lindsay.  “The idea here is that eventually this feeling of emptiness can become a sources of quiet and comfort,” says Lindsay on loneliness and mindfulness training.