Meditation offers many scientific benefits. Meditation has many scientific benefits, including improving focus and anxiety and helping millions to sleep better at night. Meditation can improve memory, but is it possible? Scientists and neurologists are still a bit unsure about the relationship between memory and brain. We do know a lot more about memory and meditation.
Memory: How it works
To understand the workings of memory and how meditation could affect or improve it, it is important to first understand what memory is. The three main processes that make up memory in the brain are encoding, storage and retrieval.
Encoding refers to the way information is stored and processed. Our senses, such as smells, sounds, or sight, can encode our memories. Once the information is encoded from the environment around us, it’s stored. Information may be stored in the brain’s short-term memory (such a meal plan) or long-term memory (such a significant life event).
It is not clear why some pieces of information are stored in short-term memory and others in long-term. However, there are many theories. For example, a traumatic event that is stored in long-term memories to prevent it from happening again (such as when you burn yourself on the stove).
Finally, retrieval refers to our mind retrieving a memory when it is needed, either consciously, or unconsciously.
Meditation and memories
Images, such as memories, thoughts, perceptions and thoughts, often surface while we meditate. It is common for unconscious actions to occur. Part of the practice is recognising these unconscious actions and returning the mind’s focus to the object of meditation. People who daydream when trying to meditate can experience long-term memories bubbling up. It’s almost like the mind finally has time to sort through its vast collection of memories. This is because the default mode network is where the mind is when it is not preoccupied with a task which requires great focus. This state is known as the default mode network. It’s the brain’s idle state. This is why people often get their best ideas while they are in the shower or in bed at night.
When you aren’t distracted by work or entertainment, your mind can drift into thoughts, memories and planning. These memories are stored in your long-term memory by being rearranged over and over. Meditation can unintentionally improve and build long-term memory. Memories can be uncovered by sitting silently and allowing your mind to reset itself during the day. This isn’t the best answer or ideal. While we meditate, we don’t want to let the mind wander as much. In mindfulness meditation, we instead want to get the mind off of wandering thoughts and bring it back to the object of the practice (such a breath).
Meditation can improve memory
We have already discussed the three stages of memory and their respective functions. These are the two most critical parts of memory. Encoding and storage are more easily and quickly achieved when you’re more aware of what they do and how it affects the information that we’re processing. Meditation can help us be more mindful and practice mindfulness throughout our day.
This mindfulness, as well as living more in the moment, can help strengthen memories and improve our memory. Meditation can improve memory, so it is possible to meditate. But what about science?
A study involved 79 people who practiced mindfulness meditation for a period of four weeks. There was an increase in hippocampal volumes which helped to negate impairments in working memory and improve memory overall, especially long term memory. This is consistent with the previous statements regarding mindfulness meditation and how it, and the default network, reinforces long term memories.
How about short-term memory? Is meditation good for short-term memory?
A study showed that mindfulness meditation can increase memory capacity by reducing distracting thoughts, which affect the brain’s ability to encode and store information, as well as improving short-term memory recall.
Both intuitively and scientifically, meditation can improve memory. This knowledge is both intuitive and scientifically based. How can we use it to improve our memory? What meditation practices should we adopt?
