In 2004, neuroscientists in Wisconsin measured Tibetan Buddhist practitioners with tens of thousands of hours of meditation. During compassion meditation, their brains produced strong, synchronised gamma waves, far beyond what beginners showed.
Truth label: Established. Strong evidence and broad agreement among experts.
Go deeper
What gamma waves are
Fast brain rhythms linked with focus and binding information together. They are usually brief and patchy.
Practice changes the brain
The more hours someone had practised, the stronger the effect. It suggests attention can be trained like a muscle.
The limits
It was a small study of very experienced monks. It shows what is possible, not what a ten-minute app session does.
Learn
- Brainwaves in brief. Delta is deep sleep, theta drowsiness, alpha calm rest, beta alert thinking, gamma high focus.
- Neuroplasticity. The brain rewires with use throughout life. Meditation is one of the most studied ways of shaping it on purpose.
Test yourself
What did the monks' brains show during meditation?
Strong gamma waves. Gamma activity was unusually strong and synchronised.
Sources
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