Meditation

Inflammation is thought to run on autopilot, but new experiments suggest attention plays a role. When people focused on an itchy skin reaction instead of distracting themselves, the swelling was smaller, a pattern seen in about 90 percent of participants.

Virtual reality headsets might offer a reliable way to induce profound feelings of unity and awe typically associated with deep spiritual practices or psychedelics, providing researchers with a new tool to study human consciousness.

New research shows that slow nasal breathing directly reduces anxiety by activating a specific nose-to-brain circuit, while fast breathing worsens it. The findings, published in PNAS, suggest the physical rhythm of airflow acts as an emotional dial.

Three recent studies detail how mindfulness, self-compassion, and group therapy reduce harsh self-judgment. These psychological improvements correspond with physical changes in how the brain's emotional and executive control centers communicate.

A quick spray of oxytocin could make a big difference in therapy. New research suggests the hormone helps individuals with borderline personality disorder overcome severe self-criticism and successfully visualize comforting mental images during self-compassion meditation.

New research highlights how two distinct styles of meditation reduce symptoms of depression. While focused-attention practices and introspective self-inquiry operate through slightly different mental pathways, both help individuals detach from negative thoughts and perceived threats.

By tracking participants multiple times a day via smartphones, researchers have mapped the specific psychological pathways that turn brief moments of mindfulness into lasting improvements in mental health and overall well-being.

A daily routine of device-guided slow breathing helps veterans with trauma disorders dial back their physical fight-or-flight response to sudden mental stress, suggesting a new path for protecting the cardiovascular health of vulnerable patients without relying on medications.

New research shows that a simple breath-watching meditation alters brain activity in just two minutes. These neural shifts peak around the seven-minute mark, providing evidence that even short, daily meditation sessions can offer practical mental health benefits.

A daily meditation practice might help you remember future tasks. A new psychology experiment revealed that a week of mindfulness training boosted time-based memory, particularly when participants could not easily check a clock.

People who regularly practice advanced meditation techniques exhibit brain activity patterns during sleep that appear noticeably younger than their actual age. Researchers suggest these habits might help protect against cognitive decline, though questions about exact causes remain.

A recent study published in the Annals of Neurosciences suggests that practicing sound-based meditation can quiet electrical brain activity. Despite this reduction in overall brain energy, the technique tends to simultaneously increase a person's sense of alertness.

Practicing daily mindfulness meditation through a mobile application helped adults initiate eye movements and process visual targets faster. The cognitive improvement applied equally to young and older adults, demonstrating that simple mental exercises tangibly alter visual perception.

By measuring the magnetic fields of the brain, researchers found that different contemplative practices uniquely change how our minds balance strict order and total chaos. These shifts make neural activity more adaptable and less predictable over time.

Emotion-targeted mindfulness training can sharpen visual working memory for weeks after practice ends. A new experiment reveals that these benefits stem from the brain becoming more efficient at making memory-based decisions.