In his case, neuroscientists from the University of Wisconsin plugged 256 sensors into his brain. This is what they found.38 ‘The scans showed that when meditating on compassion, Ricard’s brain produces a level of gamma waves—those linked to consciousness, attention, learning and memory “never reported before in the neuroscience literature”, Davidson said. The scans also showed excessive activity in his brain’s left prefrontal cortex compared to its right counterpart, allowing him an abnormally large capacity for happiness and a reduced propensity towards negativity.’ The monk attributes his
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