Originally Posted on June 30, 2012

‘Mind-wandering’ occurs when we contemplate events that happened in the past, might happen in the future, or will never happen at all. This ‘stimulus-independent thought’ or thought that does not rely on external events, seems to be the brain’s default network.

A group of scientists at Harvard University decided to explore this phenomenon by collecting real world data, rather than data within the confines of a laboratory, from people going about their business in life, from approximately 5000 people, via a smartphone app. The researchers discovered that real world data showed more mind-wandering, that peoples’ activities had only a modest impact on whether their minds wandered and no impact on whether their mind wandered to pleasant topics. Most importantly, however, people were less happy when their minds wandered, than when they were focused on a task, especially if the task was enjoyable (unless it was sex, in which case they were most focused!). The researchers concluded that a human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The evolutionary development of being able to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost.

An antidote to mind-wandering is meditation. Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth (www.medicaldictionary.com). The process of working with one’s mind is not easy. However, the data is starting to argue that it is valuable and important for oneself and others. Similar to the more modern technique of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, in which people learn how to recognize the links between their thoughts and feelings and their actions, meditation teaches us to notice how our minds work and then what follows. A wave lapping at the shore will cause little effect to the seaside home. A tsunami will tear that home from its foundations. What we have the power to learn is how to recognize and notice whether our mind is being lapped by a gentle wave or being torn from its foundations. To change, you must learn how to re-direct your intentions. The more you learn to pause and notice your feelings, particularly if they manifest as actions with negative consequences, the more you learn about yourself.

The Buddhist studies & Meditation teacher David Nichtern, calls meditation a process of making friends with yourself. Meditation has also been shown to result in an increase in the daily experience of positive emotions which had a resultant effect of increasing a variety of personal resources. Loving-kindness meditation can, for example involve practitioners directing loving-kindness to different people in their lives. The increased personal resources included: the ability to be mindful in the present moment, to feel able to control environmental challenges, to give and receive emotional support and to fight the common cold. People with these resources are more likely to effectively meet the challenges of life and take advantage of life’s opportunities, becoming happy, successful and healthy, in the months and years to come. This study notes that the accrual of personal resources via frequent experiences of positive emotions seems to be key to increasing wellbeing. More specifically, this study highlights the personal value of meditation, in a variety of arenas that positively affect ones’ own life.

Many believed that the brain, once formed, was not able to fundamentally change. We thought that the brain was ‘fixed’ in its abilities. We now know that the brain is capable of change. In neuroscience, this is called plasticity.

Until relatively recently, we were only able to understand the human brain by how people behaved, talked, or acted, or by examining the brain post-mortem. We are now starting to understand the brain via techniques, such as fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), that allow us to examine the live, functioning brain, with techniques which can “see” inside the brain as it is doing things. As these techniques have been developed, it is starting to become clear that what we think and how we think – that is, how we use our brain – fundamentally alters the brain: what fires together, wires together.
Using these techniques to get a sense of what is going on in the brain during particular events has allowed us to examine the brain during ‘mental’ activities, such as meditation and to examine the effects of long term meditation on the brain.

Lutz and Davidson, researchers at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, Wisconsin Madison, examined 16 monks who have cultivated compassion meditation practices. Compassion is the sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Sixteen age-matched controls with no previous training were taught the fundamentals of compassion meditation two weeks before the brain scanning took place. The study was part of the researchers’ ongoing investigations with a group of Tibetan monks and lay practitioners who have practiced meditation for a minimum of 10,000 hours. According to Malcolm Gladwell in the book Outliers, a person who has spent 10,000 hours practicing something, can be considered an ‘expert’. Cultivating compassion and kindness through meditation affects brain regions that can make a person more empathetic to other peoples’ mental states. Specifically, the fMRI scans revealed that activity in the parts of the brain that play a key role in bodily representations of emotions and are important in processing empathy – especially in perceiving the mental and emotional state of others– was increased. This study highlights the importance of mindfulness and the development of empathetic concern for others.

In Buddhism, there is a tenet which states that care and love towards others originates in care and love for oneself – when we can understand ourselves, we can understand others: “It is possible to travel the whole world in search of one who is more worthy of compassion than oneself. No such person can be found.” Compassion is a key element of many religions and ancient practices that encourage us to work with the mind. Confucius was once asked which of his teachings should his students’ practice all day, every day: “Perhaps the saying about shu (consideration). Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” This is the thread that connects all his teachings. For Confucius, compassion was inseparable from humanity.

A quotation which has been attributed to the Buddha explains these changes such:
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
This research is starting to highlight how when we change our thinking, we change our brains. When we change our brains, we change our minds. When we change our minds, we change our worlds.

©Tamsin Astor-Jack, Yoga Brained LLC