Re:Meditation associated with slower age-related loss of gra...
by stolio on Saturday February 07, 2015 @03:49PM
(#9015252)
Agreed, this is a highly correlative study.
However even if meditating doesn't have a direct effect on the brain (it is in some forms just sitting there) it encourages the type of self-reflection that leads to healthier choices.
The moments where you go "Oh, activity X is unhealthy and makes me unhappy so I should stop" cause a healthier more balanced lifestyle. So there is a completely non-woo mechanism for why meditation could be improving long term health.
Also noteworthy is meditation is a practice that's thousands of years old and there are many different types of it and just because one of them is beneficial doesn't mean they all are.
However even if meditating doesn't have a direct effect on the brain (it is in some forms just sitting there) it encourages the type of self-reflection that leads to healthier choices.
The moments where you go "Oh, activity X is unhealthy and makes me unhappy so I should stop" cause a healthier more balanced lifestyle. So there is a completely non-woo mechanism for why meditation could be improving long term health.
Also noteworthy is meditation is a practice that's thousands of years old and there are many different types of it and just because one of them is beneficial doesn't mean they all are.