Study: Meditators 'surprisingly' alert

July 6, 2007

Meditation produces changes in brain waves associated with being increasingly alert, say an Australian researcher.

Dylan DeLosAngeles, of the Flinders Medical Center in Adelaide, is to present his findings this month at the World Congress of Neuroscience in Melbourne.

Previous studies proved conflicting about meditation's impact on the brain, with some studies reporting that meditators were asleep, DeLosAngeles said.

DeLosAngeles asked 13 people in a meditation group to describe their experiences of five different meditative states. DeLosAngeles then measured brain activity in each state using an electroencephalograph, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

DeLosAngeles said he found an increase in alpha brain waves associated with alertness, focus, attention and concentration, and a decrease in delta brain waves associated with drowsiness or sleep.

"Meditation is a finely held state of attentiveness and alertness that differs from eyes-closed resting or sleep," he concluded.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

4.8 /5 (10 votes)  

Rank 4.8 /5 (10 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Tenofovir, leading HIV medication, linked with risk of kidney damage

(Medical Xpress) -- Tenofovir, one of the most effective and commonly prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS, is associated with a significant risk of kidney damage and chronic kidney disease that increases over ...

Medicine & Health / Medications

created 43 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New tumor suppressor gene identified

A recent study published in Clinical Cancer Research suggests that the protein hVps37A suppresses tumor growth in ovarian cancer. The work, which was funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, shows, for th ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 13 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Don't ignore kids' snores

(Medical Xpress) -- Your ears aren’t playing tricks on you – that is the sound of snoring you hear from the bedroom of your preschooler. Snoring is common in children, but in some cases it can be a symptom of a ...

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 1 hour ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

WHO calls for stepped-up fight against leprosy

The World Health Organization called Monday for greater efforts to fight leprosy, warning the disfiguring disease was defying efforts to wipe it out across many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Social psychologist: Lust makes you smarter and evidence that seven deadly sins are good for you

(Medical Xpress) -- Good news for lovers on Valentine’s Day - the seven deadly sins, including Lust, are good for you. University of Melbourne social psychologist Dr Simon Laham uses modern research to make a compelling ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 2 hours ago | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0


Researchers make better heat sensor based on butterfly wings

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have long known that butterfly wings produce their iridescent colors by bouncing light around and between tiny ridges in structures made of chitin. More recently they’ve discovered ...

Manipulating genes with hidden TALENs

(PhysOrg.com) -- A better understanding of gene function in model plant and animal systems could be used to develop useful traits in livestock and crop plants, and might someday lead to developments in stem ...

Alien matter in the solar system: A galactic mismatch

This just in: The Solar System is different from the space just outside it.

Transforming galaxies

(PhysOrg.com) -- Many of the Universe's galaxies are like our own, displaying beautiful spiral arms wrapping around a bright nucleus. Examples in this stunning image, taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 on ...

'Smart' microcapsules in a single step

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new, single-step method of fabricating microcapsules, which have potential commercial applications in industries including medicine, agriculture and diagnostics, has been developed by researchers ...

China's pollution puts a dent in its economy

Although China has made substantial progress in cleaning up its air pollution,a new MIT study shows that the economic impact from ozone and particulates in its air has increased dramatically. ...