冥想會(huì)讓你的頭腦就能變得更好

For years, many entrepreneurs have been relentlessly touting the benefits of mindfulness meditation, from a younger brain to better decision-making. So why haven't you started yet?

多年來(lái)，許多企業(yè)家都一直被兜售正念冥想的好處，從不諳世事到更好的決策。所以你為什么還不開(kāi)始呢?

Is it because you think it would be hard to start? If so, science says no.

是不是因?yàn)槟阌X(jué)得很難開(kāi)始?如果是的話，科學(xué)告訴你不是這樣。

If you think you're too busy for a meditation practice, sorry, that doesn't fly either.

如果你覺(jué)得自己太忙，沒(méi)有時(shí)間去做冥想練習(xí)，抱歉，這也說(shuō)不通。

And how about if you think it's just too much of a commitment. Maybe you're under the impression it takes years of disciplined practice to start to see results.

如果你只是覺(jué)得需要承擔(dān)太多義務(wù)。也許你一直有這樣的印象，它需要成年累月的規(guī)律練習(xí)才能看到結(jié)果。

If that's your worry, the latest research should reassure you. According to a new meta-analysis of all the existing studies on the subject, simple mindfulness meditation has profound, physical effects on the brain in only eight short weeks.

如果這些是你擔(dān)心的，那么最新的研究應(yīng)該能讓你安心。一項(xiàng)建立在現(xiàn)存研究基礎(chǔ)上的全新meta分析顯示，簡(jiǎn)單的正念冥想僅在八周內(nèi)就能對(duì)大腦有深入實(shí)際的影響。

Just two months to a better brain?

只要兩個(gè)月就能有更好的頭腦?

The new analysis, recently published in Brain and Cognition and highlighted on the British Psychological Society Research Digest blog, examined the results of 30 previous studies that used MRI brain scans to measure the physical changes meditation causes in the brain. For those looking for a relatively deep dive into the neuroscience, here's what the researchers uncovered, according to BPS:

這項(xiàng)新的分析最近被發(fā)表在《大腦與認(rèn)知》，并且在英國(guó)社會(huì)心理學(xué)研究文摘博客中被置頂，它檢測(cè)了之前30項(xiàng)研究的結(jié)果，這些研究使用核磁共振掃描來(lái)測(cè)量冥想給大腦帶來(lái)的實(shí)際變化。對(duì)那些在神經(jīng)科學(xué)領(lǐng)域深入研究的人來(lái)說(shuō)，下面是研究人員根據(jù)BPS結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)的：

Associated brain changes, in terms of activity levels and volume and connectivity changes, have been reported in the prefrontal cortex (a region associated with conscious decision making and emotional regulation and other functions), the insula (which represents internal body states among other things), the cingulate cortex (decision making), the hippocampus (memory) and the amygdala (emotion).

根據(jù)活動(dòng)等級(jí)以及體積和連通性的變化，相關(guān)大腦變化已經(jīng)傳輸?shù)角邦~葉皮層(關(guān)系到?jīng)Q策能力、情緒調(diào)節(jié)以及其他功能的區(qū)域)、腦島(代表身體內(nèi)部狀態(tài))、扣帶皮層(做決策)、海馬體(記憶)以及杏仁核(情感)。

All of which is fascinating. But what do those changes boil down to in terms of noticeable shifts in brain performance? "Based on what we know about the function of these brain regions, [lead author Rinske] Gotink's team said these changes appear to be consistent with the idea that mindfulness helps your brain regulate your emotions," sums up the BPS post.

所有這些都是很吸引人的。但是這些變化歸根結(jié)底在大腦表現(xiàn)上有什么顯而易見(jiàn)的改變?“基于我們已知大腦區(qū)域的功能，以Rinske Gotink為首的研究團(tuán)隊(duì)說(shuō)這些變化與冥想幫助大腦調(diào)節(jié)情緒似乎是一致的。”總結(jié)了BPS的內(nèi)容。

While the exact interpretation of any particular brain change is always open to scientific debate, these results strongly suggest that just two months of meditation is enough to rewire your brain in ways that could encourage greater focus, emotional control, and thoughtful decision making.

任何對(duì)于特定大腦變化的確切解釋都存在引起科學(xué)爭(zhēng)論的可能性，這些結(jié)果有力地表明了只要兩個(gè)月的冥想就足夠重啟大腦，可以促進(jìn)形成更多的關(guān)注、情緒控制、以及深思熟慮的決策。

So, in short, no, it doesn't take forever for meditation to make a measurable difference in your brain, and most likely in your behavior either.

所以，簡(jiǎn)而言之，不會(huì)的。冥想不會(huì)在你腦中產(chǎn)生永久的明顯差異，也不會(huì)明顯影響你的行為。