This Simple Practice Can Boost Memory & Emotional Regulation, According To Research

For this study, researchers wanted to better understand the mechanisms behind meditation's benefits. They had the unique opportunity to study the brains of drug-resistant epilepsy patients using electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings and were able to look deep within the patients' brains while they were practicing loving-kindness meditation.

These recordings revealed that meditation prompted neural changes in beta and gamma waves in both the amygdala and hippocampus.

As senior study author Ignacio Saez, Ph.D., explains in a news release, "These kinds of brain waves are affected in mood disorders like depression and anxiety, so the possibility of being able to willfully control these through meditation is pretty amazing and may help explain the positive impact that these practices have on individuals."

Another notable detail of the study is that all of the participants considered themselves novice meditators, yet these effects were still observed after meditating just once.

In case you're curious, loving-kindness meditation is traditionally a Buddhist philosophy and practice, but the concept of loving-kindness, compassion, or maitrī, can also be found in Hindu and Jain texts, as well as across other world religions and philosophies.

The object of this practice is to cultivate and send out compassion to the world and all living beings in it, including ourselves. You start by connecting to and sending love to yourself and then to someone you love, and eventually, you keep expanding that love out to the entire world.

Another key component of this meditation is sending love to those you may not especially like. As such, it's an excellent tool for forgiveness, compassion, and grace.