In a small but highly provocative study, a UW-Madison research team has found, for the first time, that a short program in "mindfulness meditation" produced lasting positive changes in both the brain and the function of the immune system. - source
This is a couple of years old, but still worth looking at. It is one study from the HealthEmotions Research Institute located at the University of Wisconsin. Their goal is to scientifically determine how emotions influence health. They have quite a few studies going on at the moment, and I look forward to seeing the results of all of them.
I think that this sort of study speaks to a side of human development that we haven't discussed a lot in class. The conscious development of the self, through discipline and choice.
I like to dwell on this aspect of development, as it is the part we have a lot of control over. I can't change my parents or my heredity. I can have a direct impact on the way my brain functions and how I navigate what I've been given though.
You can read more about how science is approaching meditation here and here.
Since we are reading a lot in Bloom's book about emotions and why they may exist, you might also find how people are manipulating their emotions for their own gain interesting. There is a "new" practice called Laughter Therapy that has become quite popular with some folks. Here is a Laughter Yoga page that has several short movies about the practice. They even go into "laughter clubs" as they exist in India.
Patty
