Inspired Life

Harvard neuroscientist:
Meditation not only reduces
stress, heres how it changes
your brain
By Brigid Schulte May 26, 2015

SaraLazar,aneuroscientistatMassachusettsGeneralHospitalandHarvardMedicalSchool,wasoneofthefirstscientists
totaketheanecdotalclaimsaboutthebenefitsofmeditationandmindfulnessandtesttheminbrainscans.Whatshefound
surprisedherthatmeditatingcanliterallychangeyourbrain.Sheexplains:

Q:Whydidyoustartlookingatmeditationandmindfulnessandthebrain?

Lazar:AfriendandIweretrainingfortheBostonmarathon.Ihadsomerunninginjuries,soIsawaphysicaltherapistwho
toldmetostoprunningandjuststretch.SoIstartedpracticingyogaasaformofphysicaltherapy.Istartedrealizingthatit
wasverypowerful,thatithadsomerealbenefits,soIjustgotinterestedinhowitworked.

Theyogateachermadeallsortsofclaims,thatyogawouldincreaseyourcompassionandopenyourheart.AndIdthink,
Yeah,yeah,yeah,Imheretostretch.ButIstartednoticingthatIwascalmer.Iwasbetterabletohandlemoredifficult
situations.Iwasmorecompassionateandopenhearted,andabletoseethingsfromotherspointsofview.

Ithought,maybeitwasjusttheplaceboresponse.ButthenIdidaliteraturesearchofthescience,andsawevidencethat
meditationhadbeenassociatedwithdecreasedstress,decreaseddepression,anxiety,painandinsomnia,andanincreased
qualityoflife.

Atthatpoint,IwasdoingmyPhDinmolecularbiology.SoIjustswitchedandstarteddoingthisresearchasapostdoc.

Q:Howdidyoudotheresearch?

Lazar:Thefirststudylookedatlongtermmeditatorsvsacontrolgroup.Wefoundlongtermmeditatorshavean
increasedamountofgraymatterintheinsulaandsensoryregions,theauditoryandsensorycortex.Whichmakessense.
Whenyouremindful,yourepayingattentiontoyourbreathing,tosounds,tothepresentmomentexperience,and
shuttingcognitiondown.Itstandstoreasonyoursenseswouldbeenhanced.
Wealsofoundtheyhadmoregraymatterinthefrontalcortex,whichisassociatedwithworkingmemoryandexecutive
decisionmaking.

[Related:Youremissingoutonyourexperiences:Ameditationexpertexplainshowtoliveinthemoment]

Itswelldocumentedthatourcortexshrinksaswegetolderitshardertofigurethingsoutandrememberthings.Butin
thisoneregionoftheprefrontalcortex,50yearoldmeditatorshadthesameamountofgraymatteras25yearolds.

Sothefirstquestionwas,well,maybethepeoplewithmoregraymatterinthestudyhadmoregraymatterbeforethey
startedmeditating.Sowedidasecondstudy.

Wetookpeoplewhodnevermeditatedbefore,andputonegroupthroughaneightweekmindfulnessbasedstress
reductionprogram.

Q:Whatdidyoufind?

Lazar:Wefounddifferencesinbrainvolumeaftereightweeksinfivedifferentregionsinthebrainsofthetwogroups.In
thegroupthatlearnedmeditation,wefoundthickeninginfourregions:

1.Theprimarydifference,wefoundintheposteriorcingulate,whichisinvolvedinmindwandering,andself
relevance.

2.Thelefthippocampus,whichassistsinlearning,cognition,memoryandemotionalregulation.

3.Thetemporoparietaljunction,orTPJ,whichisassociatedwithperspectivetaking,empathyand
compassion.

4.AnareaofthebrainstemcalledthePons,wherealotofregulatoryneurotransmittersareproduced.

Theamygdala,thefightorflightpartofthebrainwhichisimportantforanxiety,fearandstressin
general.Thatareagotsmallerinthegroupthatwentthroughthemindfulnessbasedstressreductionprogram.

Thechangeintheamygdalawasalsocorrelatedtoareductioninstresslevels.

[Related:Scienceshowsthatstresshasanupside.Hereshowtomakeitworkforyou]

Q:Sohowlongdoessomeonehavetomeditatebeforetheybegintoseechangesintheirbrain?

Lazar:Ourdatashowschangesinthebrainafterjusteightweeks.

Inamindfulnessbasedstressreductionprogram,oursubjectstookaweeklyclass.Theyweregivenarecordingandtoldto
practice40minutesadayathome.Andthatsit.
Q:So,40minutesaday?

Lazar:Well,itwashighlyvariableinthestudy.Somepeoplepracticed40minutesprettymucheveryday.Somepeople
practicedless.Someonlyacoupletimesaweek.

Inmystudy,theaveragewas27minutesaday.Oraboutahalfhouraday.

Thereisntgooddatayetabouthowmuchsomeoneneedstopracticeinordertobenefit.

Meditationteacherswilltellyou,thoughtheresabsolutelynoscientificbasistothis,butanecdotalcommentsfrom
studentssuggestthat10minutesadaycouldhavesomesubjectivebenefit.Weneedtotestitout.

Werejuststartingastudythatwillhopefullyallowustoassesswhatthefunctionalsignificanceofthesechangesare.
Studiesbyotherscientistshaveshownthatmeditationcanhelpenhanceattentionandemotionregulationskills.Butmost
werenotneuroimagingstudies.Sonowwerehopingtobringthatbehavioralandneuroimagingsciencetogether.

Q:Givenwhatweknowfromthescience,whatwouldyouencouragereaderstodo?

Lazar:Mindfulnessisjustlikeexercise.Itsaformofmentalexercise,really.Andjustasexerciseincreaseshealth,helpsus
handlestressbetterandpromoteslongevity,meditationpurportstoconfersomeofthosesamebenefits.

But,justlikeexercise,itcantcureeverything.Sotheideais,itsusefulasanadjuncttherapy.Itsnotastandalone.Itsbeen
triedwithmany,manyotherdisorders,andtheresultsvarytremendouslyitimpactssomesymptoms,butnotall.The
resultsaresometimesmodest.Anditdoesntworkforeverybody.

Itsstillearlydaysfortryingtofigureoutwhatitcanorcantdo.

Q:So,knowingthelimitations,whatwouldyousuggest?

Lazar:Itdoesseemtobebeneficialformostpeople.Themostimportantthing,ifyouregoingtotryit,istofindagood
teacher.Becauseitssimple,butitsalsocomplex.Youhavetounderstandwhatsgoingoninyourmind.Agoodteacheris
priceless

Q:Doyoumeditate?Anddoyouhaveateacher?

Lazar:Yesandyes.

Q:Whatdifferencehasitmadeinyourlife?

Lazar:Ivebeendoingthisfor20yearsnow,soitshadaveryprofoundinfluenceonmylife.Itsverygrounding.Its
reducedstress.Ithelpsmethinkmoreclearly.Itsgreatforinterpersonalinteractions.Ihavemoreempathyand
compassionforpeople.
Q:Whatsyourownpractice?

Lazar:Highlyvariable.Somedays40minutes.Somedaysfiveminutes.Somedays,notatall.Itsalotlikeexercise.
Exercisingthreetimesaweekisgreat.Butifallyoucandoisjustalittlebiteveryday,thatsagoodthing,too.ImsureifI
practicedmore,Idbenefitmore.IhavenoideaifImgettingbrainchangesornot.Itsjustthatthisiswhatworksforme
rightnow.

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Tofindoutmore,SaraLazarhasputtogetherlistsofFrequentlyAskedQuestionsandhowtofinda
goodteacher.Clickhere.

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Brigid Schulte is director of the Better Life Lab at New America and the author of the bestselling
Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play when No One has Time.

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