10 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Meditation [Research List]

What does the newest research show about the (health) benefits of meditation? In this article you will find the greatest benefits and effects of meditation that have been scientifically proven. 

There is plain scientific evidence about the effects of meditation

We are not talking here about anecdotal evidence that you hear so often, but clear scientific evidence, for example with brain scans carried out on people who meditate. The brain scans show that different compartments of the brain are going to work together in a coherent and organised way.

The left and right hemispheres also synchronize and become one. Because many more connections are made in the brain, stress and pain, for example, are easier to process.

Scientifically proven benefit 1 – Prevention of depression

In the University of Nijmegen, but also in Massachusetts and Baltimore, much scientific evidence has been found for the greatest benefit of meditating: the prevention and cure of depression.

Scientifically proven benefit 2 – Being able to control emotions

A 2012 study showed that meditating people create lasting emotional balance. This was one of the many advantages proven in Massachusetts. Therefore, this university is the place where the leader of the many research projects – Jon Kabat-Zinn – developed the 8-week mindfulness curriculum on the basis of these research projects.

Brain activity was lower in the part of the brain where emotions are regulated. When the world around you is going in all sorts of directions, and when all sorts of things happen – much like a storm – then your emotions don’t react to that storm. Meditating people do not let themselves be blown away in all directions in the storm, but remain powerful with their emotions where they want them to be.

Scientifically proven benefit 3 – Developing compassion

A Boston study showed that short meditation increases your compassion ( empathy, solidarity, love) by 50%.

Scientifically proven benefit 4 – More focus and concentration

Among other things, Harvard University has shown that alpha waves in the brain increase due to meditation. This ensures that you can process information better and thus learn better. In this way, you are also more creative and use both hemispheres. Alpha waves also ensure that information which can distract you is filtered out.

Scientifically proven benefit 5 – Reduced scare reaction: less anxiety!

Lama Oser is known for his peaceful smile and he can often be found in the lab. He could control something no one else could do: his reaction of terror. Thanks to meditation, nothing can take him out of his relaxation. This is an advantage of meditation because there is a strong correlation between a shock reaction and anxiety. The less this frightening reaction, the less anxious you are. And fear is linked to countless conditions such as stress and depression.

Scientifically proven benefit 6 – Stronger immune system

We are back at Jon Kabat-Zinn, who has conducted countless studies. He injected a number of participants of his meditation program with a virus. In this way he was able to measure the reaction of the immune system of these people. The participants in the meditation program proved that their immune system was stronger and recovered more than non-participants.

Scientifically proven benefit 7 – Less anxiety

In Jon Kabat-Zinn‘s research, he proved that people who meditate suffer less from anxiety than the control group. These results came out after just a few weeks.

Scientifically proven benefit 8 – Lower blood pressure

Many people suffer from high blood pressure. This increases your chances of developing cardiovascular diseases, heart failure or kidney disease. The University of Kentucky showed that Transcendent Meditation lowers your blood pressure by leaps and bounds.

Scientifically proven benefit 9 – Less loneliness

Lonely feelings can be detrimental to our mental and physical health. J. David Creswell showed that daily meditation can lower the sense of loneliness by leaps and bounds.

Scientifically proven benefit 10 – Better sleep

Some time ago, a survey was carried out among people with sleeping problems. This research showed that meditation improves the quality of sleep and the number of hours of sleep. This had also improved the quality of life during the day.

Why meditate? The ‘non-scientific’ benefits …

The above 10 proven benefits are wonderful, but the domain of meditation, involving your soul / intuition , is in part best described in non-scientific, but anecdotal terms. The benefits are of a completely different level than that.

When you meditate, during your day you manifest the “Divine, or the Infinite.” This means in ‘non-scientific terms’ the following:

1. You are radiant and fully awake .
2. Everyone you come into contact with will be moved by your presence and affected by the peace that you radiate. Nature too.
3. You save time and money on a lot of addictions that you previously used as a means of escape (for yourself and from the silence).
4. You become the light of the world, a manifestation of pure consciousness . There is then no continuous dissatisfaction. This is who you really are . Pure joy, love and peace. From that love you automatically stand in your own strength.
5. You have no anticipation, fear, daydreaming, remembering and waiting anymore. Only alert presence . In every cell of your body.
6. That ‘you’ with a past and future ( ego ) is almost gone. Yet nothing precious has been lost. You are still essentially yourself. In fact, you are even more yourself than you have ever been.
7. Calmness. The universe surrenders to the mind that is calm.
8. You are fast, awake, alert, calm, present to take every opportunity that is happening in the now .
9. You disconnect from earthly activities. You are not attached to the constantly fluctuating forms of the outer world. Now you can enjoy them, play with them, create new shapes, appreciate their beauty, but you have no need to attach or find fulfillment in them.
10. You can hear the inner voice of your heart again. You know who you are because of this. You get a sense of direction. You know what you want to do and why (your mission).
11. By communicating with angels, souls and guides , you come to a different frequency. You become sensitive to higher frequencies.
12. With meditation we can temporarily detach ourselves from that which is of this world, and we can taste the infinite for a moment.
13. This makes you more alert, present and awake, but you don’t think.
14. When you are in connection with the whole, the timeless intelligence, the unmanifest, the inner connection, the immersion of consciousness in the world, coincidences, synchronicity  and spontaneous useful events happen more often.
15. More intelligence will operate in your life. Coincidences and miracles come into your life.
16. You take (back) authority over your life. Because you are grounded and can no longer be influenced by the energies of others (this is a proactive quality ).
17. Negativity no longer has a hold on you.
18. You have a higher energy level.
19. You are anchored in the now.
20. Joy, ease and lightness in what you do: presence in the now.
21. You do not lose yourself in the external world, nor in your thoughts and emotions.
22. Emotions and thoughts, fears and desires can still be there to a certain extent, but they don’t take over.
23. No resistance.
24. Acceptance of the inevitability of all changes.
25. No judgment.
26. And no adhesion.
27. Leads to true freedom and enlightened life.
28. Silence in yourself. Paying attention to outer silence creates inner silence. This is ideal if you keep having problems with the voice in your head, fear, doubt and uncertainty. Simply seek the silence.
29. The joy of  being ,
30. The lived experience, feeling alive, energy
31. Joy
32. Present, alert, watchful, sharp and at the same time relaxed and stable
33. Alive, pure consciousness
34. Liberation and fulfillment: peace. If you experience peace and tranquility, then you are successful in meditation!
35. Creativity
36. Forgiveness
37. Rest, balance and grounding.
38. Patience and dealing with the situations that arise.
39. Finally letting the trapped consciousness escape from the mind and go to the body.
40. A playfulness in your life.
41. You become free from the outcome.
42. Things lose their weight, their seriousness.
43. You can discern the secrets of everything.
44. That is the state of connection with the source. We call that lighting.
45. Getting into the here-and-now more easily, becoming connected to the Greater Whole (God).
46. You feel relaxed, aware, clear and focused.
47. Wisdom, instead of knowledge and IQ.
48. As your mind (mind) becomes quiet, you hear more clearly what the Greater Whole has to say to you. If you have a problem in your life and you don’t know how to solve it, give it a try to meditate and pray. Turn your attention inward and sincerely look for an answer, and then the door of inner wisdom within you will be opened.
49. You can easily break conditioned, automatic behavior that is restrictive after you practice meditation. Think of fear, worry and stress.

To your success!