Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute their perspectives and experiences on the blog as a way of deepening dialogue and understanding around key themes related to our mission. Thirty years ago, people who studied contemplative practices were often marginalized in their own academic departments. Informally, they sought out colleagues at other institutions. …
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On the Path to Belonging at the 2022 Summer Research Institute
Against a backdrop of daunting polarization, violent conflicts, rising authoritarianism, and mounting climate chaos, Mind & Life’s 2022 Summer Research Institute (SRI) engaged participants in an audacious inquiry: What is the role of the human mind in creating today’s divisions, and how can our minds transform to create a more connected world? From June 6-10, …
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Celebrating 35 Years: Weaving Origin Stories
Photo credit Adam Engle “Francisco Varela saw Mind & Life as a dream-board, a place where radical ideas about the nature of mind and reality could be not only unfolded, but also challenged,” recalls Mind & Life Founding Steward Roshi Joan Halifax, reflecting on the origins of the Mind & Life Institute. A philosopher and …
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Building Bridges: A Mind & Life Origin Story with Adam Engle
In an online conversation held in 2022, Mind & Life Co-founder Adam Engle reflects on the origins of the Mind & Life Institute with Science Director Wendy Hasenkamp. We shared this video as part of our 35th anniversary celebration. View the transcript here.
Norm Farb: Strategies for Coping with Today’s Stress Epidemic
With cascading emergencies from the pandemic to war in Ukraine to the climate crisis now fueling a stress epidemic, social neuroscientist Norm Farb has a lot to say—and a lot on his plate—from ongoing research to co-authoring a new book. “A lot of us are spending our free time absorbing more threat signals,” says Norm, …
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Planting Seeds for a New Research Field: Lessons from the Early Days of Mind & Life
The first Mind & Life Dialogue with the Dalai Lama took place in Dharamsala, India in October 1987 on the theme of Buddhism and the cognitive sciences. Five scientists gathered with His Holiness in what was described as a ‘living room conversation.’ For seven days, they explored topics ranging from cognitive psychology, perception, memory, and …
Biological and psychological mechanisms of mindfulness meditation-based interventions for depression
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly burdensome and psychological and biological features are mechanistically implicated in its etiology. Fewer than one-in-three depressed patients achieve remission after treatment. Understanding treatment mechanisms of MDD is clearly an important objective. Mindfulness training emphasizes the development of attention and experiential acceptance, improves depressive symptoms, reduces the likelihood of relapse, …
Differential effects of loving-kindness and insight meditation on self-referential thought and tacit coordination
We will take a multi-method approach to extend the reach of contemplative science beyond the individual practitioner. First, we will examine the impact of different types of meditation practices on propensity for self-generated thought—thinking that is decoupled from the present moment. Second, we will investigate whether meditation-induced changes in self-generated thought are associated with our …
Overcoming barriers to social connection and love
Low social connectedness is a growing cause of suffering and disability. Nearly half of U.S. adults report sometimes or always feeling lonely, a state defined as a perceived lack of social connectedness and close, loving relationships. We propose to study empathy as a mechanism promoting perceived social connectedness and love. We will assess whether a …
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Mind & Life Educational Research Network
The Mind & Life Education Research Network (MLERN) was formed in 2006 as a multidisciplinary intellectual forum dedicated to investigating issues at the intersection of the mind, brain, education and contemplative practice. Directed by Dr. Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin, MLERN included a core group of contemplatives and contemplative scholars, neuroscientists, cognitive, developmental …
