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Of all the so-called “spiritual practices,” meditation probably has the largest body of scientific research backing up its utility and power. In fact, meditation is so powerful that it can rewire our brain. Numerous studies using MRI and EEG have shown that a regular meditation practice can rewire the neural patterns in the brain and even increase grey matter.^2,3

In a nutshell, meditation leads to:

1. Reduced psychological distress
2. Better emotional health
3. Better cognitive abilities
4. Better physical health

Let’s take each of these in turn.

1. Reduced Psychological Distress

All of us face varying degrees of psychological distress in our daily lives—from regular stresses and worries, to anxiety, depression, and addiction. Meditation and mindfulness interventions help us deal with all of it.^4,5

Solid research backs up the common knowledge that mindfulness techniques reduce anxiety and stress.⁶ In fact, they have long been prescribed to patients who suffer anxiety disorders and panic attacks as a way to calm their nerves with relatively good success rates.⁷ Interestingly, research also shows that meditation retreats are more effective than traditional vacations in reducing daily stress and improving mood.⁸

Several studies also show that meditation can reduce depressive symptoms, maybe even more so than antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy in the long run.⁹ Clarity of thought and the ability to step back and get perspective reduce our tendency to ruminate, which often plunges the most vulnerable among us into depression.

On the addiction front, mindfulness can help people to stop smoking¹⁰ and reduce binge eating¹¹ as well as drug and alcohol abuse.¹² It makes sense that being more mindful would help us control our worst impulses, and the science backs it up.

2. Better Emotional Health

Meditation also leads to better emotional health in general. Being in a mindful state—even momentarily—is associated with a greater sense of well-being.¹³

You can also learn to regulate your emotions through meditation and mindfulness practice. Mindful individuals have more emotional awareness, are more understanding, more accepting, and can better cope with being in a shitty mood.^14,15 People who are prone to outbursts of anger or sadness are better able to regulate and control their emotions with the aid of meditation.¹⁶

Psychologists have also noted that patients who practice meditation develop greater awareness of their actions and emotions. In fact, some therapists prescribe meditation to their patients to assist them in their therapy.¹⁷

Meditation also lowers the need for external validation. Meditating trains you to become more aware of what thoughts and emotions dictate your behavior, primarily where you’re trying to receive your love and validation that may not be working. It forces you to become more aware of your needy and neurotic behaviors and put an end to them.¹⁸

Not only will you rely less on external validation, you will also have healthier relationships all around. This is primarily because meditation increases your ability to empathize with others. Brain scans show that meditation activates the positive, happy, empathetic aspects of the brain. People who regularly practice meditation report an ability to empathize and care about the emotions of others, thereby bonding with them more easily.¹⁹

3. Better Cognitive Abilities

Quite simply, meditation trains you to remove all of the unnecessary garbage from your mind, which frees it up to retain what is useful and important more efficiently.²⁰ In a nutshell, you’ll have better memory and be able to think more clearly.

Meditation also increases focus and discipline. Practitioners of meditation are able to retain focus on specific tasks and are less likely to deviate from those tasks.²¹

Interestingly, meditation also improves your intuition. Often referred to as your “gut reaction,” your “instinct,” or your “intuition,” meditating gets you in touch with your unconscious decision-making processes. Daniel Kahneman refers to it as your “first brain.” Malcolm Gladwell refers to it as “blink.” Whatever it is, that instant, gut reaction that you have about some things is often right. Meditation will increase that.

4. Better Physical Health

Not only does meditation help you psychologically, emotionally, and cognitively, it can also make you physically healthier. You get better sleep, better cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, increased tolerance to pain, and better immune functioning.²²

As the physical health benefits of meditation are less commonly known than its other benefits, I want to show you what exactly meditation does for your body. I present to you… the Meditation Nerd Box:

Meditation is by no means a cure-all for your problems. But I believe that it’s a powerful tool. Meditation’s purpose is to give you perspective and clarity on your internal issues. It doesn’t fix them for you.

Years ago, one of the most upsetting parts of my involvement in meditation was the sheer number of long-time practitioners I met who convinced themselves that meditation fixed all of their psychological and emotional problems, when it didn’t. It helped them experience and become aware of those problems, but you still have to go out into the world and commit the actions to overcome them.

Sitting in a room staring at a wall all day is unlikely to do that.