Article: Meditation Decreases Attentional Blinks

(Note: This is from an older article, in 2007, but still quite fascinating.)

A study at the University of Wisconsin shows that meditation decreases the attentional blink, or the inability of people to tell closely spaced visual subjects apart.  It also results in decreased habituation, or the tendency of the mind to give progressively weaker responses to sensory stimuli.

“To understand these phenomena let us imagine that a person who is reading quietly is suddenly disturbed by a loud noise. If the same sound is then repeated with a few seconds later his attention will again be diverted, only not as strongly nor for as long a time. If the sound is then repeated at regular intervals, the person will continue reading and become oblivious to the sound. A normal subject with closed eyes produces alpha waves on an EEG tracing. An auditory stimulation, such as a loud noise normally obliterates alpha waves for seven seconds or more; this is termed alpha blocking. In a Zen master the alpha blocking produced by the first noise lasts only two seconds. If the noise is repeated at 15 second intervals, we find that in the normal subject there is virtually no alpha blocking remaining by the fifth successive noise. This diminution of alpha blocking is termed habituation and persists in normal subjects for as long as the noise continues at regular and frequent intervals. In the Zen master, however, no habituation is seen. His alpha blocking lasts two seconds with the first sound, two seconds with the fifth sound, and two seconds with the twentieth sound. This implies that the Zen master has a greater awareness of his environment as the paradoxical result of meditative concentration.”

They also mention that meditation might become a common place treatment for ADD/ADHD, and that people might be able to train themselves for certain mental characteristics, such as happiness or other emotions. 

My Thoughts: I love that science is now catching up with Eastern thought.  We used to use meditation and yoga to treat our youngest son, Avery, of his ADHD; it was the best thing we had found until we finally tried medication.  I think I'm going to be trying meditation again, though: the increasing brain strength won't hurt at all.

Any Thoughts?

http://www.mindupdate.com/?p=52