Meditation and other mindfulness practices may improve your attention, but they won’t lead to structural changes in your brain in the short-term, according to a new study.
Previous studies have shown that learning new skills, aerobic exercise and balance training could trigger changes in the brain, and some research has suggested that mindfulness regimens could do the same.
To find out if that’s true, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds conducted trials with more than 200 healthy people who had no meditation experience.
The participants underwent MRI scans to assess their brains and were then randomly assigned to one of three groups: a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course; a well-being course called the Health Enhancement Program (HEP), or a control group that didn’t receive any type of training….