While mindfulness meditation is often promoted as a remedy for stress and mental health issues, recent research reveals that it can have adverse effects, including worsening anxiety, depression, and even triggering psychosis. Despite its growing popularity, many mindfulness practices fail...
Training in compassion through Compassion Focused Therapy significantly expanded participants' moral circles, increasing concern for a wider range of beings, including family, strangers, animals, and the environment, with effects growing stronger over a three-month period.
An eight-week Taoist meditation course changed brain activity and increased stress responses during rest but unexpectedly did not affect participants' physiological responses during meditation sessions.
A recent study found that different types of meditation, specifically concentrative and analytical, produce distinct patterns of brain activity.
A study found that 45% of participants experienced altered states of consciousness through meditation or mindfulness, with many reporting positive effects. However, 13% experienced moderate to severe suffering, highlighting the need for better support and awareness of these experiences' potential...
Combining psilocybin with meditation enhances brain connectivity and information flow, according to new research. This was evidenced by increased centrality in brain networks, suggesting improved cognitive integration.
A recent study found that brief mindfulness meditation significantly improves learning from positive surprises and promotes exploration over exploitation in decision-making, highlighting its potential to enhance cognitive flexibility and openness to new experiences.
Tibetan monks engaged in long-term meditation practices have a distinctly different composition of gut bacteria present in fecal samples compared to their non-meditating neighbors, according to new research published in General Psychiatry.
A recent study found no significant differences in attention task accuracy or general neural activity between mindfulness meditators and non-meditators, although meditators showed neural patterns suggestive of enhanced attention.
New research has found mindfulness monotherapy is linked to enhanced sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm in women with and without sexual dysfunctions. The therapy also improves sexual quality of life, but further research is needed for its wider recommendation.
A study in Germany involving primary school children found that short daily breathing exercises in classrooms may improve peer relationships and girls' prosocial behavior. However, these effects diminished five months post-intervention.
Scientists have found that coherent breathing may not be more effective than a placebo in reducing stress or improving mental health. The findings, emerging from one of the largest and most robustly controlled trials in this area, suggest that the...
New research published in PLOS One suggests that meditation may enhance certain aspects of psychological well-being in older adults. The study, which is the longest randomized meditation trial to date, suggests that specific meditation practices can improve awareness and insight,...
A recent study provides initial evidence that mindfulness meditation could reduce problematic pornography use among young adults. This intriguing finding opens a new avenue for addressing a growing concern in the digital age. The study was published in the journal...
A study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that a neuro-meditation program could improve cognitive function in Long COVID patients. Despite promising results, the absence of a traditional meditation group and short follow-up duration highlighted...