{"id":8457,"date":"2015-04-27T00:14:26","date_gmt":"2015-04-26T21:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/?p=8457"},"modified":"2015-04-27T00:14:26","modified_gmt":"2015-04-26T21:14:26","slug":"26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/","title":{"rendered":"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have a confession to make\u2026 I know meditation is meant to be\u00a0good<\/em>\u00a0for you but I don\u2019t meditate every day.<\/h2>\n

I go through cycles of meditating 20 minutes a day\u00a0and then slowly \u2018forget\u2019 and\u00a0slide into not meditating until I feel I need to \u2014 until I feel like crap.<\/p>\n

Sound familiar?<\/p>\n

But recently things have been different.<\/p>\n

For the last 30 days, I\u2019ve meditated for 25 minutes in the morning, 25 minutes in the evening and taken multiple 5-minute mindfulness breaks throughout the day.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written posts on the\u00a0myths of\u00a0motivation\u00a0in the past going into the science of what makes people\u00a0tick, but what I didn\u2019t mention is what I believe the ultimate motivator is: reasons to act.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simple I know, but when you have enough reasons to do something, motivating yourself to do it becomes a non-issue\u00a0\u2014 this is why I tell everyone to read a book on a habit they want to change.<\/p>\n

Bombarding your brain with reasons to act\u00a0makes motivation easy.<\/h3>\n

I didn\u2019t eat any vegetables until I was 20. I read a book on the benefits of healthy eating and I\u2019ve eaten them every day since. \u201cVegetables are good for you\u201d<\/em> is not a good reason to eat them.<\/p>\n

But after I read that book I had so many compelling reasons to eat nutritionally dense food it was harder not to.\u00a0The same goes for any habit.<\/p>\n

Want to\u00a0give up smoking? How many books on anti-smoking have you read?<\/p>\n

I decided to take this \u2018bombard your brain<\/em>\u2019 approach with meditation. For the last few months, I\u2019ve researched countless books, studies, and lectures to find out the benefits of meditation and now I\u2019m going to share these 26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation with you!<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mind of a Meditator<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Social Psychologist\u00a0Daniel Goleman\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0book\u00a0Destructive Emotions,\u00a0he recounts his experience of performing the\u00a0first scientific studies on the\u00a0mind of a mediator.\u00a0Among the scientists present were\u00a0Richie Davidson<\/strong>, a neuroscientist, and\u00a0Paul Ekman<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 one of the worlds leading researchers on emotions.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Dalai Lama<\/strong>\u00a0himself, who helped this meeting of the minds between East and West, said of it, \u201cI want to put everything under scrutiny,\u00a0what doesn\u2019t work, even if it was there for thousands of years we\u2019ll take out.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave the scientists his right-hand man\u00a0Lama Oser<\/strong>\u00a0to study \u2014 a European monk with over 30 years of meditative experience.<\/p>\n

They tested him on various parameters.<\/p>\n

This is where our story of the superhuman benefits of meditation begins.<\/p>\n

Breathe in.<\/p>\n

1. Insane Equanimity and Wellbeing<\/h3>\n

The first thing they looked at was Lama Oser\u2019s\u00a0left-to-right prefrontal cortex activity ratio. People who are happier tend to have a higher left-to-right ratio in terms of brain activity, more neural pathways\u00a0on the left side of the prefrontal cortex than on the right side.<\/p>\n

The happier you are the larger that ratio is. Also, left-to-right ratios predict how quickly you will recover from stresses both psychologically and physically.<\/p>\n

Lama Oser\u2019s ratio was measured and compared to a sample of 175 people.\u00a0He was quite literally off the chart.<\/p>\n

\"Benefits<\/p>\n

This off the chart prefrontal cortex activity ratio asymmetry suggests insane levels of equanimity, well-being and resilience to setbacks.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0this is not the only thing they looked at in Lama Oser\u2026<\/p>\n

2. Body Language\u00a0Expertise<\/h3>\n

Paul Ekman has\u00a0revolutionized the way we\u00a0understand emotions and facial expressions. The lead character in the TV show \u2018Lie To Me<\/em>\u2018 was based on him and his research. Ekman was the first person to discover\u00a0what he coined micro expressions \u2014 fleeting millisecond expressions that reveal our true emotions.<\/p>\n

\"Benefits<\/p>\n

Ekman has tested hundreds of people on their ability to detect these subtle expressions from FBI agents to clinical psychologists and college students. When they tested Lama Oser nobody could have predicted the results.<\/p>\n

Lama Oser was the best at detecting these subtle expressions Ekman had ever recorded.<\/p>\n

Ever.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Along with body language expertise, this tells us two further superhuman traits Lama Oser had.<\/p>\n

3. Empathic Intelligence<\/h3>\n

The ability to recognize emotions\u00a0in other people\u00a0is associated with levels of empathy. If Lama Oser was the best at detecting these micro expressions they\u2019ve ever tested, by default, he also had more empathy than any other person they\u2019ve ever tested.<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Super Fast\u00a0Cognitive Functioning<\/h3>\n

Empathy alone wouldn\u2019t have helped him notice these super fast micro expressions. They last sometimes hundredths of a second. Lama Oser\u2019s mind must have been sharp, focused and fast to catch them and process them. Faster than anyone else\u2019s they tested.<\/p>\n

5. No\u00a0Startle Response<\/h3>\n

Paul Ekman has been studying the startle response in people for decades. \u00a0The startle response is what happens if something loud or surprising happens to us suddenly. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve experienced it.\u00a0Weblink for a millisecond; it\u2019s an innate reaction.<\/p>\n

They find it in every single person. Even in policemen and women. They practice their\u00a0shooting all the time, constantly, yet every time the gun goes off they blink slightly \u2013 they startle.\u00a0Everyone has a startle response.<\/p>\n

Or so they thought\u2026<\/p>\n

Lama Oser was the first person in recorded history to\u00a0suppress his\u00a0startle response. When he is meditating, he is so relaxed, so focused on whatever he\u2019s meditating on that nothing startles him.<\/p>\n

Because\u00a0there is a strong correlation between levels of anxiety and how easily somebody startles, the implications for this are huge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Negotiation Expertise<\/h3>\n

Practicing meditation didn\u2019t just affect Lama Oser, it also influenced\u00a0everyone he interacted\u00a0with. They did this experiment where they had him sit down with Western scientists and talk about controversial issues such as why scientists should give up science and become monks and reincarnation.<\/p>\n

He interacted with two people. The first was a chilled out scientist. They both had a good chat and remained calm. Then they brought in the second scientist and they picked this scientist because he was extremely contentious, harsh and intolerant. I guess they were just curious about what would happen.<\/p>\n

Here is what that argumentative scientist\u00a0had to say after the discussion:<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t be confrontational. I was always met with reason and smiles. It\u2019s overwhelming. I felt something like a shadow or aura and I couldn\u2019t be aggressive.<\/em>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The scientist was calm and friendly, something totally unexpected. Lama Oser\u2019s levels of equanimity rubbed off on him<\/strong>. Emotions are contagious<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But what does this prove? It\u2019s fantastic and shocking but do we also have to meditate for 30 years to reap similar benefits?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n

7. Less\u00a0Anxiety<\/h3>\n

There are a few problems with the Lama Oser studies. The sample size was very small. The study showed correlation, not causation (perhaps it was genetics<\/em>), and well, the guy was a monk. We don\u2019t all have 30 years to spare.<\/p>\n

This is where\u00a0Jon Kabat-Zinn\u00a0comes in.<\/p>\n

Jon Kabat-Zinn came up with\u00a0an experimental design that had\u00a0a control group and an experimental group. The control group signed up to a mindfulness meditation program but remained\u00a0on the waiting list. The experimental group, who were compared to the control group, did a meditation program.<\/p>\n

The program was 8 weeks long. They meditated on average for 45 minutes a day, they did a little bit of yoga, mindful breathing, body scans and had workshops talking to them about meditation.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0this experiment, Jon Kabat-Zinn showed that\u00a0the benefits of meditation don\u2019t just apply to monks. In just 8 weeks, those who meditated achieved significant changes, both mentally and physically.<\/p>\n

The first was a significant\u00a0decrease in\u00a0anxiety<\/a> levels\u00a0during the program and after compared to the control group.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Better Mood<\/h3>\n

The scanned the participant\u2019s brains in the Jon Kabat-Zinn study. Like Lama Oser, their left-to-right prefrontal cortex activity ratio changed compared to the control group.<\/p>\n

Their positive emotions<\/a> increased and their negative emotions decreased.<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0Stronger Immune System<\/h3>\n

Jon Kabatt-Zinn also injected participants with a cold virus to see how their immune system would respond. Those who\u00a0were in the program had a stronger immune response and recovered faster.<\/p>\n

The benefits of meditation are not just psychological, but physical.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lama Oser experiments and the Jon Kabat-Zinn experiment made the world, and the science community, start to take notice. From here on out, I\u2019m going to list some really unexpected superhuman benefits<\/a> of meditation.<\/p>\n

10. Improved Decision-Making<\/h3>\n

Imagine you are betting money on a slot machine. You allow\u00a0yourself to spend $50. Even though\u00a0after an hour of betting you haven\u2019t won a dime, you\u2019ve repeatedly come close to winning the $10,000 jackpot. Problem is, you\u2019ve just spent your fiftieth dollar.<\/p>\n

Seen as you\u2019ve already spent so much time and money, rather than let it all go to \u2018waste\u2019, perhaps you should spend another $10 to at least recoup your losses. Somebody has to win, right?<\/p>\n

This type of thinking is irrational (easy to say that when it\u2019s not you<\/em>) and known to the critical thinking crowd as the\u00a0sunk-cost fallacy. It\u2019s a\u00a0subtle form of cognitive distortion\u00a0that negatively affects\u00a0our decision-making. Whether it\u2019s putting more money into a failing business or simply deciding to endure a film you\u2019re not enjoying because you\u2019ve paid for it.<\/p>\n

But we can get around it.<\/p>\n

With just one 15-minute focused-breathing meditation we can de-bias our brains\u00a0and make smarter decisions. By bringing our\u00a0attention to the present moment we can think clearly about our decisions and avoid\u00a0ruminating on past events, which can distort our thinking.<\/p>\n

11. Slowdown Neurodegenerative\u00a0Diseases<\/h3>\n

A pilot study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests that the brain changes associated with meditation and stress reduction may play an important role in slowing the progression of age-related cognitive disorders like Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other dementias.<\/p>\n

After an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program the Alzheimer\u2019s patients who took part showed less cognitive decline than the control group.<\/p>\n

They also reported higher levels of well-being, which in turn also improves recovery.<\/p>\n

12. Enhanced Creativity<\/h3>\n

The two main ingredients of creativity\u00a0are divergent thinking \u2014 coming up with lots of ideas \u2014 and convergent thinking, solidifying\u00a0those ideas into a single \u2018aha moment\u2018.<\/p>\n

Cognitive psychologist Lorenza Colzato and her fellow researchers at Leiden University performed a study looking at the effects of two different types of meditation practices on divergent and convergent thinking.<\/p>\n

Meditation<\/a> improved convergent and divergent thinking. Interestingly, the type of meditation had an impact on which type of creative thinking was most improved. Free association meditation improved divergent thinking more that focused attention meditation.<\/p>\n

13.\u00a0Accelerated Learning<\/h3>\n

George Mason University professor Robert Youmans and University of Illinois doctoral student Jared Ramsburg asked a selection of students to meditate before a lecture and compared their test results with a control group who didn\u2019t meditate.<\/p>\n

They found that not only did the short meditation help students focus and retain the lecture information better, it also served as a good predictor of who would pass and who would fail.<\/p>\n

Meditation helps you learn faster.<\/p>\n

14. Lower High Blood Pressure<\/h3>\n

Roughly 1 in 3 Americans have high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure increases one\u2019s chances of developing heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.<\/p>\n

A meta-analysis of nine randomized trials conducted at the University of Kentucky showed that Transcendental Meditation (repeating a mantra<\/em>) was the equivalent of adding a second\u00a0anti-hypertension agent to one\u2019s routine but without the side effects.<\/p>\n

They compared Transcendental Meditation to other relaxation techniques but found that Transcendental Meditation was the only intervention that significantly lowered high blood pressure. I suspect that other forms of meditation will yield similar results but we need more research to really find out.<\/p>\n

15. Increase Attention Span<\/h3>\n

Anyone who has ever meditated knows that focusing on one thing for any amount of time is harder than it seems. From the outside, sitting in a quiet room and placing one\u2019s attention on the breath seems easy.\u00a0There is a reason why Buddhists refer to meditation as \u2018training the mind.\u2019<\/p>\n

In one of the most comprehensive meditation studies to\u00a0date, a group of researchers took 60 participants and split them in half \u2014 one became the control group, the other went on a three-month meditation retreat.<\/p>\n

The ones who went on the retreat showed continuous improvements on a difficult 30-minute attention test compared to the non-meditators and the results lasted for five months after the retreat.<\/p>\n

Meditation improves your ability to concentrate and hold your attention on boring stimulus. This ties into accelerated learning and productivity.<\/p>\n

16. Less Loneliness<\/h3>\n

Feelings of loneliness and social isolation are damaging to our physical and mental health, especially in older adults.<\/p>\n

In a study at\u00a0Carnegie Mellon University\u2019s J. David Creswell, looking at 40 older adults, they found that just 30 minutes of meditation a day for eight weeks not only decreased feelings of loneliness but also reduced the risk of inflammatory diseases.<\/p>\n

Creswell added, \u201cIt\u2019s important to train your mind like you train your biceps in the gym.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

17. Combat Cravings and Addictions<\/h3>\n

My philosophy when it comes to changing habits is to approach them\u00a0side-on. For example, if one wants to become more productive, instead of trying to force yourself to work\u00a0longer and harder hours,\u00a0strategic breaks\u00a0might help them more.<\/p>\n

If someone wants to lose weight, before giving them a diet and workout plan I ask them to simply start weighing themselves every morning and recording the results.\u00a0Every wave starts as a ripple.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Researchers at the University of Oregon put this ripple philosophy to the test.\u00a0They sought volunteers interested in reducing stress and improving their performance.\u00a0In actuality, the experiment was designed to explore how meditation\u00a0would impact smoking behavior<\/em>. Unbeknownst to the participants, it did \u2014 they curtailed their smoking by 60%.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0meditation didn\u2019t force participants to give up smoking; it simply improved their levels of self-control and emotional regulation. It changed their habits side-on.<\/p>\n

18. Higher Pain Threshold<\/h3>\n

A study conducted at the\u00a0University of Montreal compared 13 Zen meditators, all of who had at least 1,000 hours of practice, with a control group of non-meditators to see whether regular meditation practice would affect the perception of pain.<\/p>\n

They tested the subject\u2019s pain response using a calibrated heated rod on their calfs.\u00a0The zen meditators experienced an overall 18% less pain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An extreme example of the insane equanimity\u00a0meditation can provide in the face of extreme pain can be found in this shocking image of a Vietnamese monk who, historically, didn\u2019t move or scream out once during his self-immolation.<\/p>\n

But you don\u2019t\u00a0have to<\/em>\u00a0meditate for thousands of hours to reduce the sensation of pain. A\u00a0brief intervention of 20 minutes\u00a0of meditation for three days has been shown to have\u00a0lasting pain-reducing effects.<\/p>\n

19. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)<\/h3>\n

Our brain\u2019s plasticity is a gift that allows us to continuously improve and expand our horizons. The flip side is that under certain conditions our brains can change in an instant, and for the worse. This is essentially what post-traumatic stress disorder \u2014 stress so significant, our psyche literally and instantly rewires our neural pathways into a disempowering configuration. Meditation can help reverse this.<\/p>\n

A new collaborative study from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System shows that veterans with PTSD who completed an 8-week mindfulness-based group had significant PTSD improvements compared to the control group. 73 percent of patients in the mindfulness group displayed meaningful improvement compared to 33 percent in the treatment-as-usual groups.<\/p>\n

Another\u00a0soldier focused study\u00a0looking exclusively\u00a0at the preparation and recovery of\u00a0war situations corroborated the benefits of meditation on PTSD, anxiety, and depression.<\/p>\n

20.\u00a0Deeper Sleep<\/h3>\n

In a\u00a0study\u00a0done on 11 insomnia patients aged 25-45, relaxation techniques performed in the day were shown to improve the quality of their sleep at night.<\/p>\n

Sleep latency, total sleep time, total wake time, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, sleep quality and depression improved in patients who used meditation.<\/p>\n

21. Improved Hearing<\/h3>\n

In a\u00a0study conducted at the University of Oregon\u00a0music students were given a 15 minute guided meditation before listening to a 10-minute\u00a0excerpt of\u00a0Giacomo Puccini\u2019s opera \u2018La Boheme<\/em>\u2019. Their peak experiences and \u2018flow\u2019 were measured and compared to a control group who didn\u2019t receive the meditation.<\/p>\n

Overall, 97 percent of the participants who meditated had either one or several moments of flow or aesthetic response. Of the 69 subjects who engaged in mindfulness, 64 percent thought the technique had enhanced their listening experience.<\/p>\n

Attention is manipulable. By training our mind to be present we can listen to what is actually there instead of listening to what we\u00a0expect<\/em>\u00a0to be there.<\/p>\n

22.\u00a0Visuospatial\u00a0Memory<\/h3>\n

When we glance at an object our mind can only retain the image for a few seconds. That\u2019s why\u00a0artists\u00a0constantly look back and forth every few seconds when they draw. There are, however, stories of monks who are said to be able to hold complex images in their minds for minutes at a time.<\/p>\n

In 2009 a study looking at whether visuospatial memory can be improved was carried out. Those practicing Deity Yoga, where they hold an image in their mind, were shown to have \u2018significant\u2019 improvements in their visuospatial memory following their meditation practice. More research needs to carried out to see how other forms of meditation effect visuospatial processing.<\/p>\n

If the enhanced creativity, decision making, and attention span weren\u2019t enough to get artists and engineers meditating, hopefully, this will.<\/p>\n

23. Compassionate Mind<\/h3>\n

No superhuman would be complete without improved compassion.<\/p>\n

When the Dalai Lama first visited the Western world he was shocked to find that our understanding of the word \u2018compassion\u2019 tends to refer to acts of kindness only towards others. The Buddhist word for compassion,\u00a0karu\u1e47<\/span>\u0101, means compassion both for yourself and to others. The Dalai Lama thought it was ridiculous that someone could hope to be truly compassionate towards others if they didn\u2019t first feel compassionate towards themselves.<\/p>\n

Books like The Compassionate Mind by Prof. Paul Gilbert go into detail on how compassion is an essential component of happiness, self-esteem and fulfilling life.<\/p>\n

The good news is that we can all become more compassionate. In a\u00a0study\u00a0performed at\u00a0Northeastern University College of Science showed that even a brief meditation intervention made their participants 50% more\u00a0compassionate.<\/p>\n

24.\u00a0Turn Down Distractions<\/h3>\n

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that meditation helps increase alpha waves in the brain \u2014 a wave that turns down the volume on distracting information.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself easily distracted by trivial things, meditation practice will help you focus your attention and zone out competing stimuli.<\/p>\n

25. Autonomic Nervous System Control<\/h3>\n

Your autonomic nervous system is out of your conscious control \u2014 it\u2019s involuntary. You can\u2019t tell your immune system\u00a0how much it should respond to a particular threat any more than you can consciously digest your food. But then again not all of us have spent years of our lives meditating like\u00a0Wim Hof, aka The Iceman.<\/p>\n

\"Benefits<\/p>\n

Wim Hof can withstand cold temperatures that would kill an ordinary person. To find out how Dr. Peter Pickkers and his team at the\u00a0Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre\u00a0measured Hof\u2019s immune response\u00a0after being injected with bacteria during his meditation.<\/p>\n

He was able to suppress his immune response by 50% compared to the other 240 participants studied. He also had hardly any flu-like symptoms and had decreased inflammation. Wim Hof really is superhuman.\u00a0He claims its due to his meditation practice.<\/p>\n

26. Clearer Skin<\/h3>\n

New research\u00a0is coming to out that shows stress might have more of a hand in skin conditions such as\u00a0acne\u00a0and psoriasis than previously thought. We know that meditation is one of the best ways of reducing stress, therefore it can indirectly help reduce inflammation in the skin.<\/p>\n

Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve listed 26 superhuman benefits of meditation. The truth is I could have listed a 100. There are\u00a0new studies constantly coming out showing how meditation can improve our lives and the people we come into contact with.<\/p>\n

Meditation has been around for 2,500 years but was never taken seriously until a small group of positive psychologists had the courage to break the mould and put these ancient ideas to the test.<\/p>\n

Even though I write about a variety of topics at\u00a0Comfort Pit, I class my site primarily as a positive psychology site because at the heart of positive psychology is the idea that we can look at the most incredible individuals in the world in hopes\u00a0to incorporate a little bit of that incredibleness into our own lives.<\/p>\n

With meditation, you can do this. Start today.<\/p>\n

Breathe out.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a confession to make\u2026 I know meditation is meant to be\u00a0good\u00a0for you but I don\u2019t meditate every day. I go through cycles of meditating 20 minutes a day\u00a0and then slowly \u2018forget\u2019 and\u00a0slide into not meditating until I feel I need to \u2014 until I feel like crap. Sound familiar? But recently things have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":8464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,12,14,15],"tags":[253,30,129,277,11,31],"yoast_head":"\n26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Never go a day without meditating again. These 26 scientifically backed up superhuman benefits of meditation will make you realise what you've been missing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Never go a day without meditating again. These 26 scientifically backed up superhuman benefits of meditation will make you realise what you've been missing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Life Advancer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lifeadvancer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"490\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Life Advancer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LifeAdvancer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LifeAdvancer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Life Advancer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Life Advancer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b4e58ca6bb2c8270a7b4ca143428f73a\"},\"headline\":\"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/\"},\"wordCount\":3449,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"addiction\",\"anxiety\",\"blood pressure\",\"creativity\",\"meditation\",\"mind-body connection\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health & Wellness\",\"Mental Health & Wellbeing\",\"Personal Growth\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/\",\"name\":\"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Never go a day without meditating again. These 26 scientifically backed up superhuman benefits of meditation will make you realise what you've been missing.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg\",\"width\":700,\"height\":490,\"caption\":\"Superhuman Benefits of Meditation\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/\",\"name\":\"Life Advancer\",\"description\":\"Your Guide to Life Improvement\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Life Advancer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-sticky-logo-white.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-sticky-logo-white.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":58,\"caption\":\"Life Advancer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lifeadvancer\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LifeAdvancer\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/life_advancer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lifeadvancer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/Lifeadvancers\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b4e58ca6bb2c8270a7b4ca143428f73a\",\"name\":\"Life Advancer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-user-avatar.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-user-avatar.png\",\"caption\":\"Life Advancer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/author\/life_advancer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation","description":"Never go a day without meditating again. These 26 scientifically backed up superhuman benefits of meditation will make you realise what you've been missing.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation","og_description":"Never go a day without meditating again. These 26 scientifically backed up superhuman benefits of meditation will make you realise what you've been missing.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/","og_site_name":"Life Advancer","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lifeadvancer\/","article_published_time":"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":490,"url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Life Advancer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@LifeAdvancer","twitter_site":"@LifeAdvancer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Life Advancer","Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Life Advancer","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b4e58ca6bb2c8270a7b4ca143428f73a"},"headline":"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation","datePublished":"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00","dateModified":"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/"},"wordCount":3449,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg","keywords":["addiction","anxiety","blood pressure","creativity","meditation","mind-body connection"],"articleSection":["Health & Wellness","Mental Health & Wellbeing","Personal Growth","Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/","name":"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg","datePublished":"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00","dateModified":"2015-04-26T21:14:26+00:00","description":"Never go a day without meditating again. These 26 scientifically backed up superhuman benefits of meditation will make you realise what you've been missing.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/meditation-page-pic.jpg","width":700,"height":490,"caption":"Superhuman Benefits of Meditation"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/26-scientifically-proven-superhuman-benefits-of-meditation-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"26 Scientifically Proven Superhuman Benefits of Meditation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/","name":"Life Advancer","description":"Your Guide to Life Improvement","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#organization","name":"Life Advancer","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-sticky-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-sticky-logo-white.png","width":300,"height":58,"caption":"Life Advancer"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lifeadvancer\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/LifeAdvancer","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/life_advancer\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lifeadvancer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/Lifeadvancers"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b4e58ca6bb2c8270a7b4ca143428f73a","name":"Life Advancer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-user-avatar.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/lifeadvancer-user-avatar.png","caption":"Life Advancer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/author\/life_advancer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8457"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeadvancer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}