If I'm not mistaken, this is a very thin veneer of science applied to a thick spread of dogma.<p>1. Test shows that smart subject is smart (capacity to learn, etc).<p>2. Subject of the test says meditation makes you happy.<p>3. The author then tries to make science say meditation makes you happy: 'It is not difficult to see why scientists declared Matthieu Ricard the happiest man they had ever tested.'
You can actually use these electrical signatures to make meditation a trackable, quantifiable "exercise activity". Just like you log running miles with, say, RunKeeper. Really cool to see more people getting excited about it the science! Disclaimer: cofounder at a startup doing this.
I find it poetically ironic the way Western media/attention on Matthieu Ricard always focuses on him being "the happiest" - a completely inwardly-focused, selfish goal. The exact opposite of the type of worldview buddhism advocates
Good article, but it leads you to believe that meditation is the key to his happiness.<p>I'm not here to discount the potential benefits of meditation but I think it's important to keep in mind how much effort the monks put into living an altruistic life.<p>Meditation may help bring to the surface subconscious thoughts and feelings, but the responsibility of taking action and improving negative circumstances that are realized through meditation is the real chance for improvement. Meditation without action I would argue is meaningless.<p>I guess my point is, there is so much much that plays a role in the overall happiness other than meditation. I read "The Art of Happiness" recently where an American psychologist interviews the Dalai Lama and juxtaposes western and eastern schools of thought on the pursuit of happiness. I highly recommend it if you haven't checked it out before.
If we some how view a "3D Spectrogram of Gamma waves" of people across the globe, then it will have peaks (like Himalayas) in and around Tibet. Everywhere else, there will be Troughs/Valleys.