How meditation makes us happier

Studies have confirmed that meditation really helps us feel happier, and also affects our health and relationships with others. And this is not some magical practice that runs counter to psychology. This is psychology.

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What is meditation?

From the point of view of neurobiology, meditation is the training of attention.

"What we pay attention to determines our behavior and thus our happiness," says Paul Dolan, professor of psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

We feel happier when we focus on the physical sensations that we get from the right hemisphere of the brain, on the very "here and now". But this is not so easy to do if we are obsessed with the constant comments, ideas and concerns of our left hemisphere.

How to correctly meditate to less worry and feel happier?

How to properly meditate

Focus on the inspiration and exhalation. When you notice that you are distracted and think about something, go back to your breathing. And so again and again.

That's all. You do not need to do anything else. It seems that it is quite simple. But in reality everything is somewhat more complicated: constant comments from the left hemisphere of the brain prevent us from concentrating on breathing.

Here's how it is explained in Daniel Segel's book The Attentive Brain:

Often during meditation, our brain is filled with an unceasing flow of words and ideas. It works our left hemisphere. Both hemispheres (right - physical sensations, left - thoughts and words) are constantly competing for our and so limited attention. Awareness involves the possibility of deliberately shifting the focus from the linguistic and speculative facts of the left hemisphere, to nonverbal images and bodily sensations, for which the right answers.

Why is it so difficult?

• Left hemisphere

Even when we do not perform any actions other than breathing, the left hemisphere continues to shower us with ideas and experiences. We jump from subject to object and can not stop.

Many people give up meditation at this stage. Do not give up. With your brain everything is in order, madness does not threaten you. You just encountered a phenomenon that in Buddhism is called "monkey mind".

Here is how the psychologist Mark Epstein describes this concept in his book Thoughts Without a Thinking:

Our undeveloped mind, or metaphorical monkey, is in constant motion, jumping from one thought to another. Everyone who begins to meditate, collides with his monkey mind - a restless part of the psyche, an endless stream of useless thoughts.

Remember, your left hemisphere is just an organ that performs its function. The heart beats, and the left hemisphere generates thoughts and ideas. And these thoughts, although they seem important at the moment, will lose value if you do not pay too much attention to them. This is especially important if you are overcome by negative thoughts and feelings. Do not get hung up on them, and they themselves will go to the background.

Of course, this is not so easy if the left hemisphere reminds us of all the problems and worries. Our first reaction is to take the phone, check Instagram or mail, turn on the TV - in general, by any means distracted. Do not succumb. Return to the breath again.

It also happens in another way. Perhaps you are just terribly bored. But think, are you really bored? Or is it your left hemisphere? Boredom is just a lack of attention. How can we cope with it?

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• Label your thoughts

Listen to the left hemisphere and mark his experiences, and then go back to breathing again.

Your inner dialogue can be like that.

Left hemisphere: "If you continue meditation, you can be late for dinner."
You: "This is anxiety."
Left hemisphere: "I wonder if there is a new post".
You: "It's curiosity."

Marking all thoughts in this way, you seem to postpone them for later, and they no longer interfere with you.
How meditation is connected with awareness

When you practice meditation regularly, it becomes a feature of your character. You gradually begin to apply techniques of distribution of attention and marking of thoughts in ordinary life.

Try to do it consciously. For example, if you are stuck in a traffic jam, try to focus on something else, at least on the weather. And when your left hemisphere starts angrily exclaiming "Why this always happens exactly with me!", Just take this idea to the category of "irritation". This will help cool the amygdala of the brain and restore control of the prefrontal cortex.

Gradually, the exclamations and complaints of the left hemisphere will become quieter and quieter. You will find it easier to focus on the positive.

This is how awareness comes.

Summing up

How to meditate:

• Sit back comfortably. Just not so comfortable to fall asleep.
• Concentrate on breathing. You can repeat to yourself "inhale-exhale" if it helps you to concentrate.
• Mark your thoughts. When the left hemisphere begins to overwhelm you with experiences, it will stop the flow of thoughts.
• Always return to breathing. Again and again. Consistency in this case is more important than duration. It is better to meditate for two minutes every day than an hour per month.

What makes us happiest? According to the research - the relationship.

Meditation and awareness will help here. Remember, what our relatives most often complain about (especially now, in the era of smartphones): "You do not pay attention to me at all."

This is where the skills developed during meditation will come in handy. When you stop spending so much time dwelling on your own thoughts, you can really listen to others.

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