The Science of Meditation

By Shannon Kasun, Neuroscience Specialist

Image: Wix Media

If you had told me six years ago that, as a neuroscientist, I’d be prescribing people a daily dose of meditation, I would’ve laughed. I would’ve said, “Show me the data”—real, hard proof that it actually makes a difference.

Turns out, the data is there—and there’s a lot of it. Some studies have even been published in top-tier journals like Nature.

So, here I am, saying it: Meditate. Every day.

Meditation is an ancient religious practice rooted in connecting the body, mind, and spirit. Across different traditions, it takes many forms—mantra chanting, mindfulness, focused breathing. Today, it's often practiced outside of religious contexts as a way to quiet the mind, relieve stress, and create a sense of calm and clarity.

As a scientist, I’ve always been skeptical of pseudoscientific “tips and tricks” that flood mainstream media—designed more to get clicks than to genuinely help. For a long time, I wrongfully dismissed meditation as one of those trends. But science tells a different story: consistent meditation leads to real, measurable changes in the structure, function, and performance of the brain.

Experienced meditators have been found to have thicker cortices—the brain’s outer layer—compared to non-meditators, especially in areas related to attention and sensory processing (Lazar et al., 2006). This suggests that consistent meditation can physically reshape the brain, a process known as neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections in response to experience, learning, and—as this study shows—meditation. These structural changes may help slow age-related cortical thinning, which can contribute to cognitive decline and memory challenges over time.

Meditation also boosts gamma waves—neural oscillations between 40 and 100 Hertz (Hz)—which are associated with heightened cognitive function, increased focus, and emotional regulation. A 2024 study (Murdock et al.) even found that gamma waves reduce levels of amyloid-beta, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in mice. That discovery led to the development of a 40 Hz audiovisual (AVS) stimulation device aimed at slowing the progression of AD. After just three months of treatment, researchers observed slowed hippocampal decline and improved functional connectivity in the brain.

All this to say—gamma waves are powerful, and meditation helps you generate more of them naturally.

And here’s the best part: you don’t need to be an expert meditator to benefit. Just eight weeks of 13-minute daily meditation improved attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in beginners (Basso et al., 2019). Meditation’s effects go far beyond subtle cellular changes—they lead to real, noticeable improvements in how we think, feel, and function.

Getting started doesn’t have to be hard—in fact, it can be really simple. Check out Insight Timer, a free app with a huge library of guided meditations. One of my favorite features is that it asks how much time you have—5 minutes, 15 minutes, an hour—and offers sessions that fit into your busy schedule.

Meditation isn’t magic—it’s science, and it works. Start today!

References 

Lazar et al., 2006 - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1361002/

Murdock et al., 2024 - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07132-6 

Basso et al., 2019 - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016643281830322X?via%3Dihub