• During Meditation brain scans see increased activity in regions directly correlated with ↓ anxiety and depression     ↑ pain tolerance
  • The Default Mode Network is activated when one's mind is at rest and not focusing on the outside world 
    • Found to improve memory, self awareness, and goal setting 
  • Meditation changes brain waves 
    • Higher levels of alpha waves- shown to reduce feelings of negative moods, tension, sadness, and anger 
  • Physically changes our brain shape and size 
    • Studies have found that after 8 weeks of a meditation that grey matter was more dense in areas associated with learning, memory processing, and emotion regulation 
    • The amygdala which deals with stress, blood pressure, and fear had decreased grey matter 

"Mental practice is an effective way to prepare for a physical skill. Each thought actually changes the structure and function of your
brain by affecting the neurons at the microscopic level"

Harvard Medical School Piano Experiment 

One study took 2 groups and had them practice piano for 2 hours a day 

  • One group was only allowed to use mental practice ( they couldn't touch the piano but would sit in front of it and imagine practicing) 
    • The exact physical changes took place in the motor cortex of both groups 
    • After 3 days their accuracy of playing was the exact same! Beyond 5 days the physical practice group did begin to excel faster but the imagination group was able to catch up quickly when given the chance to practice physically 
  • From neuroscientific standpoint, imagining an action and doing it require the same motor and sensory programs in the brain
    • For example, if you were to close your eyes and imagine the letter "B" the primary Visual Cortex lights up in the same way it does when you look at the letter at a screen 
    • If you were to write out your signature with your dominant hand there is a high chance that the amount of time it takes for you to imagine doing it is similar to how long it actually takes to write it out 

                        → This is relevant because imagination and action are integrated and engage the same neural pathways, practicing one actually influences the other 

 

From Mental Power to Muscle Power

One study had 2 groups do the same figure muscle exercises for 4 weeks but one group did it mentally and the other group did it physically

  • The group that did it physically increased their strength by 30% but the group that did it mentally increased their muscle strength by 22%
    • This happened because the neurons responsible for the movement instruction were still being used and strengthened and this results in increased strength when the muscles actually contracts

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