Meditation has become popular nowadays. But what’s the point of meditation? What meditation is and what benefits does it have?

In this article, we will try to cover the scientifically proven benefits of meditation and how it can change a person’s life, make a person calm, less stressed, relaxed, and how it affects mental health and physical health. which answers the main question: what’s the point of meditation?

Even though there are a lot of benefits of meditation and there is a point of meditation, you have to understand that this is a highly complex technique that physically affects the brain and has a lot of side effects. So please, consult with a professional before starting the practice of meditation.

In the 1950s, the first clinical trials on meditation were performed.  Since then, there have been many scientific articles, studies, and research that were trying to understand what’s the point of meditation.

In one of the recent studies (Neuroscience Reveals the Secrets of Meditation’s Benefits), researchers discovered that meditation could reduce stress levels and change the brain physically. The point of meditation here is that a person can “reboot” their brain, which will positively impact mental health and physical health. Recent research has shown that the mental health benefits of meditation surpass those of a vacation.

Regardless of what’s the point of meditation, the practice is important for the health and well-being of the mind. It helps you become more aware of your inner world and more present. It can also make you more mindful of the world around you. In fact, the very process of meditation can even improve your relationships. You will become more present and more aware of your body, and this awareness can help you become more relaxed.

Let’s get closer to the topic. What’s the point of meditation? Read on to find out more.

Meditation strengthens the brain

What’s the point of meditation when it comes to our brains? Based on the Eight weeks to a better brain (The Harvard Gazette) and The unique brain anatomy of meditation practitioners: alterations in cortical gyrification articles, people who spend 20-30 minutes a day meditating have increased gray-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.

It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life

Britta Hölzel, researcher at MGH and Giessen University in Germany

Slows down gray matter loss

UCLA wanted to figure out what’s the point of meditation and conducted another awesome research project. Based on the Forever Young (er): Potential Age-Defying Effects of Long-Term Meditation on Gray Matter Atrophy (Frontiers in Psychology) article of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), meditation helps to maintain the amount of gray matter in the brain.

Researchers compared the brains of 50 people who had practiced meditation for years with 50 people who had never practiced meditation. They analyzed MRI scans and noticed that the volume of gray matter in the brains of people who meditate is higher than that of gray matter in the other group.

We all understand that the older a person gets, the higher the risk of a decrease in a person’s intellectual abilities. That is because the brain becomes smaller and lighter. The point of meditation is that meditation can minimize this risk.

Increases gray matter volume

Another exciting experiment that shows the benefits of meditation can be found in the Eight Weeks to a Better Brain (The Harvard Gazette) and the Gray Matter articles (Princeton University). Sixteen people took part in the experiment where they had to meditate for 30 minutes daily.

During the experiment, participants had 2 MRI scans. First, scan before the experiment, and the second scan immediately after the experiment ends. The experiment results were impressive: in just eight weeks of practicing meditation, the brain’s structure began to rebuild, the density of gray matter increased in the areas responsible for memory, learning, introspection, and self-awareness. This is another answer to the “what’s the point of meditation?” question.

Reduces anxiety

Another interesting article, This Is Your Brain On Meditation, explains that the brain has a part called “Me Center.” It processes information about you. 

There is a strong neural connection between the “Me Center” and the brain’s fear/bodily sensation centers. It means that whenever you feel anxious, scared, or feel something in your body, you will assume something wrong.

The point of meditation is that if you regularly practice meditation neural connection between the “Me Center” and bodily sensation/ fear centers of the brain begins to break down. It means that whenever you feel something or are scared, you don’t think that something is wrong with you and there is a problem. That is why anxiety decreases once you start meditating.

Another positive point of meditation is that it creates healthier neural connections form between the “Me Center” and the Assessment Center. It means that instead of feeling anxious whenever you feel something in your body or are scared, you can look at it from a more rational perspective rather than automatically assume that there is something wrong with you.

Finally, meditation helps with empathy. Meditation also forms a strong connection between the beneficial aspects of the “Me Center” that infers other people’s states of mind, desires, motivation, and so on while simultaneously activating parts of the brain involved in experiencing empathy.

You can check out our self-test for anxiety which can help you find out your anxiety level.

Lowers stress levels

What’s the point of meditation when it comes to stress levels? There are a lot of articles that confirm that meditation can help us fight the high levels of stress we experience during our lives. This is another great point of meditation.

In the “Harvard Scientists Found Something Surprising About People Who Meditate,” it says that scientists put 24 people who didn’t practice meditation in an eight-week course on best practices for meditation. Each participant had to perform at least 45 minutes of meditation every day.

Scientists compared MRI scans of all participants before and after meditation and found that meditation made brain parts correspond to emotions thicker.

So what’s the point of meditation? What does it mean? It means that meditation makes people more emotionally attuned and less depressed.

Even more benefits of meditation

Another article (18 SCIENCE-BASED REASONS TO TRY LOVING-KINDNESS MEDITATION TODAY!) written by psychologist and director of the Center for Altruism Emma Seppala answers the “what’s the point of meditation?” question:

1. Increases Positive Emotions & Decreases Negative Emotions.
2. Increases vagal tone which increases positive emotions & feelings of social connection.
3. Decreases Migraines.
4. Decreases Chronic Pain.
5. Decreases PTSD.
6. Decreases Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders.
7. Activates empathy & emotional processing in the brain.
8. Increases gray matter volume.
9. Increases respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA).
10. Slows Aging.
11. Makes you a more helpful person.
12. Increases Compassion.
13. Increases Empathy.
14. Decreases Your Bias towards others.
15. Increases Social Connection.
16. Curbs Self-Criticism.
17. Effective Even in Small Doses.
18. Has Long-Term Impact.

And even more answers to the “what’s the point of meditation” question:

• Reduce symptoms of panic disorder (Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders).
• Makes people less sensitive to pain (Mind Over Matter: Can Zen Meditation Help You Forget About Pain?).
• Reduces alcohol and substance abuse (Vipassana Meditation: Systematic Review of Current Evidence).
• Lowers risk of heart attack and stroke (Strongest Study Yet Shows Meditation Can Lower Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke).
• Makes the immune system stronger (The Science of Meditation).
• Boosts creativity (Meditate to create: the impact of focused-attention and open-monitoring training on convergent and divergent thinking).
• Improves the ability to multitask (Initial results from a study of the effects of meditation on multitasking performance).

Summary on what’s the point of meditation

So what’s the point of meditation? Based on the experience of millions of people, we can conclude that meditation improves physical health, mental health and has a positive impact on our relationships with other people.

There are a lot of benefits of meditation, and only 20-30 minutes of daily meditation can strengthen the brain on a physical level and make us more intelligent, calm, and positive. It is worth trying meditation, as it can make a difference in your life and personality. Check out the article on how to choose a meditation technique.