Reprint of my article published by YourBrainAtWork.org on Oct 18th
It is a common belief in our
society that everything of value must come from outside ourselves. We utilize
so much helpful technology in our daily lives, and this can lead us to believe
that there is always a product out there which can solve our problems, and all
we have to do is buy it. One of the more recent manifestations of this is what
I call the Magic Pill Phenomenon. While
medication is often helpful in certain circumstances, it should not be used as
a quick fix for difficulties that aren't really mental disorders. It is not a
good idea to use drugs as an alternative to simple mental training or
discipline.
Another cultural trait in our
society is the often automatic assumption that anything worthwhile requires
serious effort and sacrifice. Like the previous trait, there is an element of
truth in this as well, but only an element. It ignores the fact that those
things that are really worthwhile come from within.
Each of us has tremendous
gifts that only require training. We often have the capacity, but not the skill
set to use that capacity to its full potential.
However, developing a skill
set requires concentration and concentration is often lacking. We are told that
we must concentrate in order to learn, but we are not taught how to
concentrate. We're simply expected to do it.
Meditation is a tool which
can teach us to concentrate. It allows us to develop a relaxed and deep focus
without strain.
A number of studies have
shown that certain types of meditation can increase concentration and improve
focus, bringing the mind more under the control of the will. Studies have been
carried out using what is called “binocular rivalry” tests to determine how
well a person can focus their attention. In these tests, different images are
presented to the subject’s right and left eye. For example, one eye is
presented with vertical lines and another with horizontal lines. The subject's
attention usually starts jumping involuntarily from one image to another,
sometimes merging them in a random order. People usually find it difficult to
focus their gaze on either vertical or horizontal lines for an extended period
of time. Psychologists (Carter et al., 2005)wanted to see whether meditation practice affects the
“jumpiness” of people’s attention. One study carried out this procedure on
Buddhist monks. They took a “rivalry vision” test before and after meditation. The
subjects were asked to press a button each time their attention switched from
one image to another or merged the images. The results indicated a clear reduction
in the number of switches after “one-point” meditation, a type of practice where
a person tries to focus attention on one aspect of their sensory experience,
such as breathing, for example.
However, the participants in
this study were highly experienced meditators who spent many years practicing
it. A group of psychologists at Pennsylvania University (Jha, Krompinger & Baime, 2007)
wanted to see whether meditation practice will change concentration ability in
ordinary people. They studied a group of people who participated in an 8-week
mindfulness based stress-reduction course which included mindfulness workshops
and 30 minutes of meditation daily. They found that the retreat participants greatly
improved their scores on all measures of attention compared to a control group.
Teaching the mind to be still
and calm is very useful. Our distant ancestors lived in an environment where
rapidly shifting attention mattered. The rustle of the brush, the sudden
quietness of birds or their disturbed flight could tell them a lot about what
was going on. This meant that their attention couldn't be fixed for a long
period of time- they had to keep scanning and picking up new input. This is the
exact opposite of our modern world where attention must be focused in order to
get the job done. We are not natural concentrators and anything that can
improve concentration can help us deal with the demands of the society that
we've built for ourselves.
Psychological experiments have also shown that regular meditation can reduce
what is known as “attentional blink” (Slagter et al., 2007). It has
been observed that our attention blinks for around half a second right after we
focus. In experiments, three months of concentrated meditation training has
been shown to greatly reduce attentional blink. This means that focusing was
faster and information was processed more quickly and accurately.
Because meditation has been
shown to be beneficial for improving attention, psychologists wanted to see
whether it has benefits for other mental functions. Studies have shown that
meditation can improve perception, emotional intelligence, thinking processes, motivation
and can even help us control our dreams (Walsh &
Shapiro, 2006).
As
our knowledge of the mind increases, we discover that there are times when the
wisdom of the ancients can contribute to a better life today.
Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marketing-deluxe/5888013965
