Positive psychological changes from meditation training linked to cellular health

[Celebration]

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-11-positive-psychological-meditation-linked-cellular.html

Positive psychological changes that occur during meditation training are associated with greater telomerase activity, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, San Francisco. The study is the first to link positive well-being to higher telomerase, an enzyme important for the long-term health of cells in the body.

The effect appears to be attributable to psychological changes that increase a person’s ability to cope with stress and maintain feelings of well-being.

"We have found that meditation promotes positive psychological changes, and that meditators showing the greatest improvement on various psychological measures had the highest levels of telomerase," said Clifford Saron, associate research scientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain.

"The take-home message from this work is not that meditation directly increases telomerase activity and therefore a person’s health and longevity," Saron said. "Rather, meditation may improve a person’s psychological well-being and in turn these changes are related to telomerase activity in immune cells, which has the potential to promote longevity in those cells. Activities that increase a person’s sense of well-being may have a profound effect on the most fundamental aspects of their physiology."

[midnight]

1. Since thoughts are energy this makes absolute sense......

[DavidDvorkin]

2. What kind of energy are thoughts?

What does that mean?

And what's the connection?

[trotsky]

3. A stressful, intense life leads to health problems.

A less stressful, relaxing life alleviates them.

WHO KNEW?!? No magic involved here.

[Celebration]

4. this is not about a less stressful life

It is about learning to deal with the stresses of life through medititation.

Further, it is not about magic, it is about the science of the cell, and the changes noted in telomerase in people who practice meditation.

WHO KNEW? Actually, I had no idea that meditation had such an effect on telomerase. Perhaps you did, if you are psychic.

[trotsky]

5. As the article points out - even in the part you quoted...

it isn't meditation per se that causes the effect.

"The take-home message from this work is not that meditation directly increases telomerase activity and therefore a person’s health and longevity..."

YAY FOR SCIENCE!

[Kind of Blue]

6. Thanks for the article, Celebration.

KnR

[silverweb]

7. Interesting article.

Thanks, Celebration. This adds to the body of knowledge confirming that meditation of any sort is a very good habit to develop.

On a personal level, not long ago I started incorporating a short period of meditation into my morning routine, followed immediately by a short period of exercise. The idea was to keep it short, so as to make both practices as habitual as feeding the cats and making my first cup of coffee.

While I can't attribute the positive results solely to either the meditation or the exercise (probably a combination), I have found that I feel very significantly more positive, serene, and energetic now.

The plan is to gradually increase the time, once the habit is completely habitually ingrained. There aren't all that many things we can do that are so simple yet so profoundly and competely beneficial.

[Odin2005]

8. K&R