Meditation is a practice that’s been around for thousands of years, with people turning to it as a path toward spiritual enlightenment, stress reduction, and even sharper thinking and focus. In recent years, however, scientists have been learning more about meditation’s benefits for brain health and mental well-being.
The more that researchers learn about meditation benefits for the brain, the more evident it becomes that the still and quiet nature of meditation may have a lot to say about how you can relax and remember effectively.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation has many definitions. In simplest terms, meditation is about training your attention to achieve a mental state characterized by calm, concentration, open-mindedness, and positive emotions. Meditation can also take many forms, each designed to serve a specific purpose. But in general, the goal of meditation is to develop awareness and attention and to clear your mind of distracting thoughts and feelings.
“Because meditation is not one single thing but rather a collection of practices and mental skills, I usually encourage beginners to try a few different approaches and to notice what feels supportive,” explains Matthew D. Sacchet, PhD, director of the Meditation Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Breath, mindfulness, gratitude, and lovingkindness meditation may all be useful.”
Dr. Sacchet often recommends lovingkindness meditation as a starting point because it trains attention and focus while also cultivating warmth, care, and a kinder relationship to one’s own mind. “For many people, that makes the practice feel less like a task and more nurturing and intrinsically motivating,” he adds.
In addition to breath, gratitude, lovingkindness and mindfulness meditations, other common types include:
- Transcendental meditation
- Cultivation practices (which include lovingkindness meditation)
- Guided imagery
- Movement meditation (which can include yoga)
- Prayer
- Future visualization meditation
- Body scan meditation
How Meditation Impacts the Brain: The Science
Some goals of meditation are being more mindful, grateful, relaxed, and focused, and there is a lot of science to help explain how it all happens.
For example, researchers using intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings from deep within the brain found that meditation can lead to changes in the amygdala and hippocampus, key brain regions involved in emotional regulation and memory. The findings, published in PNAS, suggest that guided meditation has significant potential as a noninvasive therapy.
A 2026 study, published in the journal Communications Biology, also found that a single week of intense meditation training can produce measurable changes in brain activity and blood biology. Study participants participated in several mind-body practices and activated natural pathways in the brain that not only improved the efficiency of certain thinking skills but also boosted immune function and aided in pain relief.
Of course, not everyone can or will devote themselves to hours of meditation every day, but Dr. Sacchet says the brain can benefit from smaller doses of meditation, too.
“While an intensive meditation retreat including many hours of meditation each day can be a powerful experience for practitioners, research shows that, like exercise, even small amounts of practice can yield improvement in mood and attention,” he says. “Benefits can even accrue from brief, consistent practice, especially when the quality of practice is high, meaning that the person is actively engaged, noticing distraction, returning to the present-moment object, and doing so with openness and acceptance rather than force or self-criticism.”
Dr. Sacchet adds that even just five to 10 minutes a day can be a meaningful start, much like a short daily walk can begin to build physical fitness.
Key Benefits of Meditation for Brain Health
The most common benefits of meditation can be broken down into several areas. While not everyone who meditates will achieve the same improvements, it’s reasonable to expect at least minor benefits in the following areas:
- Enhances Neuroplasticity and Brain Structure. Neuroplasticity describes the brain’s ability to change in response to a person’s behaviors and circumstances. Those changes include the formation of new connections between brain cells and the strengthening of existing connections. A 2024 report in the journal Biomedicines notes that the consistent practice of mindfulness meditation enhances neuroplasticity in ways that lead to observable changes in brain areas involved with emotional regulation, focus, and other functions.
- Improves Memory and Cognitive Function. Numerous studies in recent years have shown an association between meditation and memory improvement. Meditation may help thicken the prefrontal cortex—the area of the brain responsible for executive functions (decision-making, planning, etc.). Some evidence suggests that mediation may positively affect the activity of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Meditation may also help reduce production of the stress hormone cortisol, which can interfere with memory, attention, and focus.
- Reduces Stress and Anxiety. Meditation can help enhance your mental well-being and relieve stress and anxiety in other ways. Some practices emphasize two priorities: attention and acceptance. The attention component is about turning your focus onto the present moment rather than worries about the past and future. The acceptance piece involves acknowledging your thoughts and emotions and letting them go without judgment or self-criticism. Over time, you can learn to be more mindful, present, and less stressed about things you can’t change or challenges that might lie ahead. A review of 30 studies of a specific practice called mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), published in the journal Mindfulness in 2020, suggests that meditation was associated with reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Supports Emotional Regulation and Well-Being. Mindfulness meditation, including MBSR, can reduce the reactivity of the amygdala—the brain region involved with anxiety and the “fight-or-flight” response. Meditation can also help improve the amygdala’s ability to process and regulate emotions, such as pleasure, anger, and aggression. “I encourage people to aim beyond the outcome of stress reduction alone,” Dr. Sacchet says. “The emerging science of advanced meditation indicates that the mind has far deeper capacities for stability, clarity, compassion, and well-being than is often assumed. Brief meditation practice is a great place to start, but it can also be the beginning of a much deeper path of training, discovery, and peace.”
Practical Tips: Getting Started with Meditation
If you have never tried meditation or were unable to stick with it after a few attempts, consider trying again. You can find helpful computer or smartphone apps, as well as online videos featuring guided meditations for beginners. You might be able to find resources in your community to help you get started. Research meditation centers, houses of worship, senior centers, colleges, community education centers, health-care facilities, and other programs to learn more. A friend or relative who meditates might be happy to help you get started, too.
“A strong meditation habit feels rewarding enough to return to,” Dr. Sacchet says. “Perhaps try starting very small—with even one or two minutes a day—and building gradually from there. Try meditating in tandem with something already in your day, such as morning coffee or bedtime. If meditation does not stick, it’s not your ‘failure’; it could mean that another entry point may be needed. Gratitude or self-forgiveness practices can be especially helpful first steps for some practitioners. These practices may soften self-criticism and help make practice feel more inviting.”
