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See the good in others
Many interactions these days have a kind of bumper-car quality to them. At work, at home, on the telephone, via email: we sort of bounce off of each other while we exchange information, smile or frown,...
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How to have compassion
Compassion is essentially the wish that beings not suffer – from subtle physical and emotional discomfort to agony and anguish – combined with feelings of sympathetic concern. You could have compassion...
View ArticleStanford studies monks’ meditation, compassion
Meredith May: Stanford neuroeconomist Brian Knutson is an expert in the pleasure center of the brain that works in tandem with our financial decisions – the biology behind why we bypass the kitchen...
View ArticleThe neuroscience of wellbeing
Jock Gilchrist, The Review: Meditation has been a central component of religious traditions for millennia. Various methods exist, but it generally consists of quieting the mind to achieve a state of...
View ArticleStressed out? Try mindfulness meditation
Meryl Davids Landau, US News: One of the hottest forms of stress reduction today is actually one of the oldest: meditation. But the kind making the rounds of hospitals, community centers, and even...
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Imaging finds different forms of meditation may affect brain structure
A new study has found that participating in an eight-week meditation training program can have measurable effects on how the brain functions even when someone is not actively meditating. In their...
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Meditation changes experience of pain
Meditation can change the way a person experiences pain, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientists. The researchers found that during a pain experiment, expert...
View ArticleThe power of concentration
Maria Konnikova, New York Times: Meditation and mindfulness: the words conjure images of yoga retreats and Buddhist monks. But perhaps they should evoke a very different picture: a man in a...
View ArticleWhat happens to the brain when you meditate (and how it benefits you)
Bell Beth Cooper, Lifehacker: Ever since my dad tried to convince me to meditate when I was about 12, I’ve been fairly skeptical of this practice. It always seemed so vague and hard to understand that...
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Meditation helps pinpoint neurological differences between two types of love
Bill Hathaway, Yale News: These findings won’t appear on any Hallmark card, but romantic love tends to activate the same reward areas of the brain as cocaine, research has shown. Now Yale School of...
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Should we be mindful of mindfulness?
David Derbyshire, The Observer: It has been prescribed by the NHS for depression since 2004 but recently mindfulness has spawned a whole industry of evening classes and smartphone apps. What is the...
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5 ways meditation gives your brain a boost
Dan Harris, ABC News: I never in a million years thought I’d be the type of person who meditates. I’ve had an aversion to all things airy-fairy since age five, when my parents – recovering hippies –...
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Developing a “Buddha Brain” through gratitude
A ”buddha brain” is one that knows how to be deeply happy, loving, and wise. We develop ourselves in this way by cultivating wholesome qualities and uprooting unwholesome ones. In a sense, we plant...
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Mindfulness: Is it a fad or a powerful life-changing coping skill? A look at...
Amanda Mascarelli, The Washington Post: Imagine this scenario: You come home from work tired and frazzled, and your little kids are running wild. Perhaps this doesn’t require much imagination. People...
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Treating chronic pain with meditation
Brian Steiner, The Atlantic: In some cases, the holistic practice could replace narcotics. Integrating meditation into regular treatment could significantly cut healthcare costs. Sarah Kehoe tried...
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Feel Whole
When I look back on mistakes I’ve made – like dumping my anger on someone, making assumptions in haste, partying too much, losing my nerve, being afraid to speak from my heart – in all cases a part of...
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Is the “self” real?
Is the “Self” real? What’s the nature of the sense of being that remains when parts of the psyche fall away? The answer depends on how you define “Self.” I use that word to refer to the central “I”...
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4 ways mindfulness meditation benefits so many conditions
PsyBlog, Dr Jeremy Dean: Four central components of how mindfulness meditation works, psychological research finds. With studies pouring in on the benefits of mindfulness, psychologists’ attention is...
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What neuroscience can teach us about compassion
Carolyn Gregoire, Huffington Post: Mounting evidence of the impact of contemplative practices like meditation (which we now know can, quite literally, rewire the brain) are finally bringing modern...
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The importance of taking in positive experiences
Today we don’t gather our own food, fight off wild animals, or live in caves. And yet we’re equipped with stone-aged brains. With practice, however, we can change our brains, and our lives, for the...
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