People who insist meditation has changed their lives likely inspire fewer eye rolls today than they used to. That’s because a growing body of evidence suggests that the ancient practice — explained simply as being aware in the present moment— can h
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New theories in neuroscience suggest consciousness is an intrinsic property of everything, just like gravity. That development opens a world of opportunity for collaboration between Buddhists and neuroscientists.
”The heart of consciousness,” sa
In recent years, mindfulness meditation has garnered loads of attention for its beneficial effects on the body and mind. Now, there's a new star on the block: compassion meditation, a less well-known but increasingly popular contemplative practic
Very recently I was introduced to a church-word I had never heard before. The new word, now part of my professional lexicon, is “Creasters.” Like a celebrity mash-up, it is a morphing of two words: “Christmas,” and “Easter.”
This word refers to peop
Our daily lives are becoming more complex, connected and challenging, putting our general population under an immense amount of pressure. The result is more stress than we’ve ever faced before. So what can we do about it? Enter meditation.
Meditatio
“We shall not cease from exploration,” wrote the Catholic poet T.S. Eliot. “And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” Father Robert Kennedy has explored the world since he was ordain
The Greater Good Science Center has collected many happiness practices on our website Greater Good in Action, alongside other research-based exercises for fostering kindness, connection, and resilience. Below are 11 of those happiness practices, gr
A few years ago, after I discussed the benefits of meditation in one of my workshops, a student said to me: “Well, what you’re actually saying here is that meditation is great, and does not have any dangers or side effects.”
That comment made me r
Meditation may be an ancient practice, but it has found a home on modern-day college campuses as schools use it to help tackle student anxiety.
The American College Health Association found in a 2015 study that a whopping 85.6% of respondents felt
And why the ancient practice might still get trendier
The idea of meditation seems simple: Sit still, focus on breath, reflect. But the practice of meditating is rooted in a deep cultural history that has seen the practice grow from a religious
The damp winter wind stings the eyes and carries the delightful smells of the ocean. The metallic chains are dragged loudly on the car deck in a kind of repetitive dance. Island after island they are opened and closed by the staff of the Washington
When was the last time something filled you with awe? While young children seem to be wonderstruck on a regular basis, this experience tends to be rare in adults; our attention is by necessity more focused on day-to-day responsibilities and mundane
Scientists used to believe that people had a set happiness index. Some people were born with a disposition towards happiness while others were more prone to embracing misery. Time‘s article reported that “neither very good events nor very bad event
Journalist Jo Marchant explores surprising new research into curing the body with the mind.
For centuries, the idea of “healing thoughts” has held sway over the faithful. In recent decades it’s fascinated the followers of all manner of self-help
MINNEAPOLIS (The Borowitz Report) – Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports.
The research, conducted by the University of Minn
Robert Emmons, a leader in the field of gratitude research at the University of California researfches gratitude. The key message that Dr Emmons highlights is that the practice of appreciation can significantly increase happiness levels.
He beli
The business world is abuzz with mindfulness. But perhaps you haven’t heard that the hype is backed by hard science. Recent research provides strong evidence that practicing non-judgmental, present-moment awareness (a.k.a. mindfulness) changes t
An American professor, Martin Seligman, has pioneered positive psychology, inverting the traditional focus of his profession on distress
One of the great imponderables of human society is how much of our religion, psychology, philosophy and art th
By some key measures, Americans ages 18 to 29 are considerably less religious than older Americans. Fewer young adults belong to any particular faith than older people do today. They also are less likely to be affiliated th
Forget, if you want, the thousands of years of history, and the millions of devotees, that mediation has to its credit. That’s convincing evidence in itself, but for those who are more skeptical, the scientific literature may speak more loudly. And
Parabola
