“Why is it that some people are more vulnerable to life’s slings and arrows and others more resilient?” In this eye-opening talk, Richard Davidson discusses how mindfulness can improve well-being and outlines strategies to boost four components of a healthy mind: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose.

Richard Davidson is researching how mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains and what we know about people’s brains of individuals showing more resilience than others. Davidson is Wiliam James and Vilas professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds. His research is focused on the neural bases of emotion and emotional style and methods to promote human flourishing, including meditation and related contemplative practices. #Neuroscience #Wellbeing #MentalHealth Richard Davidson is Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison.Davidson’s research is focused on the neural bases of emotion and emotional style and methods to promote human flourishing including meditation and related contemplative practices. He has published more than 400 articles and is the co-author of “The Emotional Life of Your Brain” and “Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body”, both published by Penguin. Davidson has been recognized for his research through various awards, such as a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Award and an Established Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD). Davidson received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Psychology and has been teaching psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1984. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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Dr Neil Bailey, Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre, describes how mindfulness changes our brain to prevent mental illness. Vote on Neil’s video for the 2015 Thinkable Award: http://thinkable.org/submission/2037
See more below or visit:
http://www.maprc.org.au/neil-bailey

Mindfulness is an effective and side effect free method to treat and prevent mental illness, and improve mental health. Our research will test the changes in brain activity that take place as a result of mindfulness, helping us further understand how mindfulness can be used to improve our lives. Eventually, we hope to establish mindfulness practice as part of the core curriculum in high schools, so that every teenager benefits from a reduced risk of mental illness.

Scientists think the benefits provided by mindfulness come from an improved ability to direct our attention, so we can focus on the moment, rather than being distracted by worries about the future or regrets about the past. This improved attention is almost certainly the result of neuroplastic change. However, no one has systematically examined the effect of these changes on brain activity during the direction of attention. The current research project will examine changes in neural inhibition (the brain’s ability to quiet non-relevant regions) as a result of mindfulness practice. Understanding these changes will help us understand how mindfulness works to improve attention.

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