Meditation’s Impact on Neurochemicals
Evidence of Meditation’s Impact on Neurotransmitters and Neurohormones
Meditation is simple to learn, quiet and still in its presence. But its surface demeanor is deceptive. There’s a lot going on under the hood. Meditation is a complex mind-body process that involves changes in cognition, sensory perception, emotion, brain chemicals and brain circuitry, and autonomic nervous system activity.
The body of research investigating precisely how meditation interacts with neurotransmitter systems and brain mechanisms to promote better health is far from complete. But many clinical researchers looking for practical new ways to treat mental and physical health problems view meditation as one of the most important avenues of research to pursue throughout this decade. So stay tuned.
We can start by saying that the feelings of general well-being and positive emotion during meditation are likely mediated, at least in part, by the release of mood-stabilizing neurohormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin in limbic (emotional) brain regions.