Meditation Can Improve Our Brains and Minds (and probably our ability to resolve disputes)

Neuroscience and Conflict Resolution Blog by Stephanie West Allen

 Ignoring your meditation practice? Here’s a reminder that you may want to give it some renewed attention. Taking regular walks might step up your cognitive ability, too. (Puns intended.) From “Boosting Brain Power Through a Mind-Body Connection” (Observer-Association for Psychological Science).

What does it take to become a better thinker? Do you need to meditate for hours and engage in grueling cognitive training? Or could the path to a healthy mind be as simple as walking 40 minutes a day? At a symposium on training, performance, and neuroplasticity at the 24th APS Annual Convention in Chicago, three researchers presented their own methods for improving cognition and for tightening the neural circuits that underlie an efficient mind.

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…After 20 minutes of meditation a day for five days, the students demonstrated improvements in their conflict-resolution abilities and creative problem solving skills, as well as decreased blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Click to read the rest.

Have you noticed any difference in the mind efficiency and reflectiveness of your clients who have engaged in attention training or regular physical exercise? Ever had a room of reactive-brained couch potatoes?

                       

Stephanie West Allen

Stephanie West Allen, JD, practiced law in California for several years, held offices in local bar associations, and wrote chapters for California Continuing Education of the Bar. While in CA, Stephanie completed several five-day mediation training programs with the Center for Mediation in Law, as well as a two-year intensive… MORE >