IMAGE: Nicola de Pisapia, assistant professor at the Institute for Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Trento More
Photo credits: © UniTrento ph. Alessio Coser
The results showed that various psychological comfort measures gradually increased in the participants from the beginning to the end of the course. This was especially true for life satisfaction, perceived well-being, self-confidence and emotional self-regulation. Study participants also reported significant decreases in anxiety, perceived stress, negative thoughts, rumination and anger tendencies. At the same time, the researchers observed improvements in positive aspects and a reduction in negative emotions, both short-term and lengthways, throughout the program.
Nicola De Pisapia, researcher at the Institute of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences of the University of Trento and scientific coordinator, explained the basic principles of the study: “The training we proposed to the participants was inspired by the idea – in both the West and the West Eastern philosophical traditions – this happiness is inextricably linked with the development of inner balance, a friendlier and more open perspective on yourself, others and the world in order to better understand the human mind and the human brain on the one hand the theoretical study of philosophy and science and on the other hand meditation practices ” .
The study was carried out over nine months (with seven theoretical / practical weekends and two meditation retreats) at the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute for Tibetan Culture in Pomaia (Italy). For the theoretical part, participants took part in a series of presentations, watched some video courses, and participated in open discussions on topics of psychology, neuroscience, the history of Western thought, and the philosophy of life in Buddhism. The scientific topics included neuroplasticity, mind wandering circles, stress and anxiety, pain and pleasure, positive and negative emotions, desire and addiction, self-esteem, empathy and compassion. For the practical part, a number of exercises that come from various Buddhist and Western contemplative traditions (e.g. meditation on the breath, analytical meditation, personal diary) have been suggested.
In recent years research, excluding the “recipes” mistaking happiness for hedonism and the New Age obsession with positive thinking, has shown that meditation practices have important mind benefits, while studies of happiness and wisdom have been scarce. De Pisapia therefore concluded: “I believe that in times like these, which are fraught with change and uncertainty, it is of fundamental importance to study scientifically how Western and Eastern philosophical traditions can be integrated along with the latest discoveries about the mind and brain contemplative practices in a worldly way. The aim is to give healthy people the opportunity to work on themselves to develop authentic happiness, not hedonism or superficial happiness. With this study we wanted to take a small step in that direction. ”
###
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the correctness of the press releases published on EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of information via the EurekAlert system.
