Harvard: Meditation Builds Grey Matter
Research by Harvard scientists reveals that eight weeks of meditation increases the density of the brain’s grey matter. Essentially, according to this Collective Evolution article, this means that not only does meditation offer benefits such as mental clarity, peacefulness and relaxation, there is also a positive change in the structure of the brain.
Specifically, the hippocampus is augmented; the part of the brain that helps govern learning, memory, self-awareness and compassion. The subjects in the study took an eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, which is the same course I took in spring 2014. Now I have a better explanation for why I felt and continue to feel so much more spacious and calm. I got a grey matter boost, in addition to the cognitive and psychological benefits!