Vancouver Sun: Richard Davidson, one of the world’s top brain scientists, believes mental exercise, specifically meditation, can literally change our minds.
“Our data shows mental practice can induce long-lasting changes in the brain,” said Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
His startling scientific research on the impact of meditation on brain function has implications that go beyond the physical.
Buddhist monks believe mental attributes and positive emotions such as compassion, loving kindness and empathy are skills that can be cultivated.
Science is beginning to back that up.
Davidson started meditating in 1974, when he was a Phd student at Harvard. Back then, meditation was seen as a somewhat faddish eastern import right up there with the dashiki and the Jesus sandal.
“The culture at the time was not so receptive,” Davidson said, “nor were the scientific methods so well-developed.”
It was when he met the Dalai Lama in 1992 that he “decided to come out of the closet with my interest in meditation.”
He became excited about the possibility of applying rigorous scientific study to the practice of meditation.