Tag · 3 articles
Sara Lazar's Harvard studies showed that eight weeks of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) produces measurable structural changes in the brain — a larger hippocampus, a smaller amygdala, and shifts in Default Mode Network activity. This is the neuroscience behind what Zen has practiced for 2,500 years.
Gratitude journaling activates the medial prefrontal cortex and the brain's reward system, producing neuroplastic changes that persist long after the practice ends. The Japanese concept of 一日一善 — one good deed per day — turns out to be a neurologically optimized design.
Aerobic exercise triggers the release of BDNF — brain-derived neurotrophic factor — a protein that acts like fertilizer for neurons. Studies now show exercise rivals antidepressants for mild-to-moderate depression, and the mechanism explains why.
