Flexibility of mind

Meditation is a family of methods that facilitate the regulation of feelings and attention,” explains Davidson, who led the study.

In recent years, scientists have observed that meditation has an impact on brain function. For example, studies of Tibetan monks trained to focus on a single object or thought showed that they could focus on a single image significantly longer than normal participants who were shown two different images—one for each eye. Other studies have shown that brain areas associated with attention and the senses enlarged in people who meditated for 40 minutes daily.

"One of the fundamental mysteries that is becoming better understood as research progresses—though it remains groundbreaking—is the possibility of literally changing the brain through mental training," Davidson told Live Science. "Some properties of the human brain, such as attention, and some emotions, such as joy, can be thought of as skills that can be developed through training."

When Davidson first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama nearly 10 years ago, the exiled Tibetan leader encouraged him to conduct research on meditation. “I realized then that this was a very opportune time to begin such research, because brain research methods had improved dramatically and the scientific community was much more open to pursuing these kinds of ideas.”