Brain Fitness NewsBigger Brain Appears To Result From Attention Control, Concentration, And Relaxation Methods!
For many years proponents of various forms of meditation have loudly proclaimed its effects, and now science is joining the chorus with research indicating that brain fitness techniques which make up meditation practices may be responsible for increasing the amount of grey matter in the brain.
The Journal of NeuroImage published a study authored by University of California at Los Angeles researchers showing that a group of longer-term practitioners of meditation had significantly larger volumes of grey matter than average in their brain’s hippocampus (the emotion center), inferior temporal gyrus, orbito-frontal cortex, and thalmus.
Meditation practices are generally constructed of any number of brain fitness techniques. The techniques themselves, if strategically designed and customized to fit the individual, have a uniquely challenging effect on related brain functions (working memory, creativity, visualization, etc.) that cause the brain to react by releasing cell-strengthening nutrients so that it can meet the higher level of demand on brain function. One of the results of this process is the creation of new brain cells, a phenomenon known as “Neurogenesis.” Some aspects of meditation can include:
Attention Control – Centering all attention and directing it to one or more targets; externally, such as a spot on the wall; internally, such as onto the experience of your breathing. Attention control efforts often require holding the target in defiance of any distractions that might occur.
Breath Control – Taking conscious control of the normally automatic, unconscious breathing process, thereby expanding your perception so that you are fully aware of what your breathing feels like and its effects on your body as you begin to relax on purpose.
Muscle Control – Intentionally detecting, through controlled attention along your body, any muscle tension or general sense of anxiety; then, making adjustments to your physiology so that the muscles begin to relax themselves; often in combination with deep, controlled breathing.
Thought Control – Purposefully forging and directing thoughts to serve the objective of the technique. As an example, if the task of the method is to inspire a pleasant feeling, then you might be required to form a positive, clear thought of something that brings a smile to your face. As you hold your attention onto that thought, the pleasant feeling associated with it image begins to dominate your mind. Another aspect of thought control is to slow down the velocity of the running thought stream, and even bring it to a standstill so that the mind grows quiet.
Although the study participants’ meditation experience ranged from five years to forty-six years, there is no clear time frame for the development of above-average brain volume through the use of brain fitness techniques, but the skills that can be developed in the meantime often have life-changing, positive effects that further enhance cognitive growth.