The longest and most complex study of meditation ever undertaken is beginning to publish its first results after more than two years spent analyzing the significant amount of data it gathered. This research, called the Shamata Project, began in 2007 at the University of California, Davis, and uses methods drawn from fields as diverse as molecular biology, neuroscience, and anthropology. It advertised for participants via word of mouth and advertisements in meditation-themed magazines. About 140 people applied to participate, of whom 60 were selected to take part in several experiments.

The first official findings released from the Project provide evidence to support the notion that the practice of meditation improves perception. An article published last month online in Psychological Science reports that those who participated in the study became better at making fine visual distinctions and sustaining attention during a 30-minute test. This test, derived from those used to assess vigilance in radar operators,  involved the participants  watching a screen intently as lines flashed on it; most were of the same length, but every now and then a shorter one would appear, and the volunteer had to click the mouse in response when recognizing it. It was found that meditators were able to sustain their attention for longer periods without getting bored or distracted. Meditation seems to increase the capacity to be mindful, or pay attention, even to the small details happenig before us.

“Because this task is so boring and yet is also very neutral, it’s kind of a perfect index of meditation training,” says Katherine MacLean, the graduate student involved in the Project.  “People may think meditation is something that makes you feel good and going on a meditation retreat is like going on vacation, and you get to be at peace with yourself. That’s what people think until they try it. Then you realize how challenging it is to just sit and observe something without being distracted.”

Katherine MacLean, Clifford Saron, B. Alan Wallace et al. Intensive Meditation Training Improves Perceptual Discrimination and Sustained Attention. Psychological Science, (in press)

For more details check out the press release: http://news.ucdavis.edu/in_the_news/

Or the website : http://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu/