In addition to affecting how a brain ‘thinks’ mindfulness has also been shown to have actual physical effect on brain structure. For some orientation I refer you back to Your Brain: By the Numbers. The following reinforces the fact that reported improvements are not because people are just feeling better but because they are spending time relaxing.
While it is generally agreed that anyone who practices mindfulness can ‘feel’ that it works – there is often a question in one’s mind especially a ‘business brain’ - is there a basis in fact/science? This is an issue I touched on in an earlier article (Daniel Kahneman Meets Dalai Lama) but I believe it warrants more attention.
What could possibly come from a meeting between an individual who is one of only two psychologists to win the Nobel Prize for Economics and one of the most introspective spiritual (Buddhist) and political (Tibetan) leaders?