the science of proving that sitting still and doing nothing is actually doing a lot.
means a body of research measuring how contemplative practices like mindfulness or focused attention change the brain, body, and behavior over time.
from grew out of 1970s encounters between western neuroscience and buddhist monks, kickstarted when jon kabat-zinn secularized meditation into mbsr in 1979 and researchers started sticking monks in mri machines.
mbsr harvard study — 2011 sara lazar study linked 8 weeks of practice to hippocampal growth.
shamatha project — uc davis tracked meditators through a 3-month intensive retreat, 2007.
mind and life institute — dalai lama founded dialogues bridging monks and scientists since 1987.
headspace clinical trials — an app-run study measuring stress reduction across thousands of users.