The Huffington Post reports a scientific study which credibly demonstrates the many benefits of meditation. In the course of three month, meditators had improved vision, cognition, and psychological well-being. Even more impressively, the meditation led to anti-aging benefits, with resistance to aging at the cellular level.
The scientists emphasize that meditation does not lead directly to cellular health and longevity. Instead, the practice appears to give people an increased sense of meaning and purpose in life, which in turn leads to an increased sense of control over their lives and to less negative emotion. This cascade of emotional and psychological changes is what regulates the levels of telomerase, the anti-aging enzyme.
It's well known that stress -- and distress -- lead to poor health, including a decline of telomerase and its healing properties. What hasn't been known -- and what these studies are beginning to document -- is the exact order of psychological and physiological events in this chain and, what's more, that this chain of events can be reversed.According to Wray Herbert, the author of this piece, "Positivity appears to be the link between meditative practice and a variety of health benefits."
Bett,
ReplyDeleteHere is the way I look at the issue of a correlation between positivity / negativity, on the one hand, and longevity, on the other. Positivity is probably conducive to longevity, and conversely, negativity is detrimental to it. But even if that were not the case, and negativity led to a longer life, who would choose that? Not only would your life would be miserable and last longer, the misery itself would make you feel that it lasts even longer. You'd get hit by a double whammy.
Eugene
Eugene,
ReplyDeleteIs that one of the issues? We've been pursuing longevity at any cost? How long can we afford to do that? As one policy analyst declared, "We've thrown a ton of money at the problems. But we can't afford to throw 5 tons."
So how can we influence people to live healthy lifestyles? They, whoever "they" are, are making 5 tons of money influencing people to live unhealthy lifestyles.
That's a big purpose for me beginning this blog, maintaining that the most urgent need now is not to fight over who pays for medical tests and treatments, the government or the insurance companies, it's how people live that will substantially lower costs for all of us in the pool, whether the pool is public or private.
Of course, healthy lifestyle doesn't guarantee great health...we all know the person with a great lifestyle who develops serious cancer, and has to undergo heavy duty treatment - but that's more the exception than the rule.
What's your thinking on this?