MEDITATION RESEARCH

Meditation has entered the mainstream, and studies of the benefits of daily meditation continue to be published. Here are some samples.

Researchers at the University of Oregon found that after five days of meditation practice, students scored better on a computerized attention task that required them to ignore distracting information. Students who received only relaxation instructions did not show this improvement.

Meditation makes attention more efficient. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin had students looking at a computer screen which would flash two numbers in quick succession. Because of the brain's limited powers, most students were able to see only the first two numbers. After three months of meditation training, the students were able to see both numbers reliably, whereas a control group showed no such improvements.

Meditation can ameliorate the effects of congestive heart disease. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania gave meditation training to adults who had been admitted to the hospital for heart failure. Compared to how they functioned at the start of training, three months later these patients performed significantly better on the six-minute walk test, and showed alleviation of depression, fewer readmissions to the hospital and an improved quality of life.