Achtung, baby!

Via Science Daily, word of research showing that even brief periods of meditation can strengthen cognition and improve our attentional span and vigilance. Of course, the cognitive benefits of meditation are nothing new to us: Since 1998, James Austin, Emeritus professor of Neurology at the University of Missouri, has been studying the links between Zen meditation and the science of the brain. His latest, Selfless Insight, is a synthesis of his research into the way that brain research explains the basis for meditative states and clarifies how meditation affects our understanding of consciousness. As he puts it by way of introduction:

My quest has spanned an era of unprecedented progress in neuroscience research. Every month or so, new developments help us envision how meditation trains attention, how our notions of Self are rooted in interactive brain functions, and how extraordinary states arise that can help us live more harmoniously and selflessly. This is an exciting time. A whole new field is taking shape.

The crux of the new findings is that brief periods of meditation can elicit cognitive benefits, rather than the long periods of devotion that were previously thought necessary. Perhaps this idea will find its way into Austin's research: He's currently at work on a compact 'how to' guide to attentional meditation. Stay tuned...