First if we look at more spiritually developed species, ET s, they have usually bigger brain comparing to body - and we will also start to look like that! According Sarkar
About meditation studies:
But while looking only at the most experienced meditators (with 40,000 hours); "There was a brief increase in activity (attention) as they start meditating, and then it came down to baseline, as if they were able to concentrate in an effortless way," says Davidson. "Most people, if they heard a baby screaming, would have some emotional response," Davidson says, “but not the highly experienced meditators. They do hear the sound, we can detect that in the auditory cortex, but they don't have the emotional reaction." 2007 study; meditators have longer attention spans.
Meditation helps to grow bigger
brains; Researchers have found that experienced meditators
had increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with
attention and processing sensory input. Meditation can retain brain
fitness and reverse the effects of aging. Sara Lazaar has found in
her study that meditation reduces age-related thinning of the brain.
And
a
study
in University of California has shown that meditation may affect
multiple pathways that could play a role in brain aging and mental
fitness, preventing dementia.
Meditation
and Plasticity;
http://www.braintraining4all.com/posts/brain-fitness/how-does-meditation-impact-brain-plasticity/221/#ixzz2HIzmFZR8.
More:
http://www.braintraining4all.com/posts/brain-fitness/how-does-meditation-impact-brain-plasticity/221/#ixzz2HIzgavUm.
Due
to reduced
stress meditation
helps us to experience positive emotions and increase a sense of
well- being and joy. And http://www.braintraining4all.com/posts/brain-fitness/how-does-meditation-impact-brain-plasticity/221/#ixzz2HIzuIuiv.
The researchers report that those who
meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable
changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain
associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress.
http://www.psyn-journal.com/article/S0925-4927%2810%2900288-X/abstract.
M.R.I. brain scans found increased gray matter in the hippocampus, an
area important for learning and memory and reduction of gray matter
in the amygdala, a region connected to anxiety and stress.
2009
study suggests that meditation may reduce blood pressure in
patients with coronary heart disease.
In a
2008 study published in the journal PloS One, when meditators
heard the sounds of people suffering, they had stronger activation
levels in their temporal parietal junctures, a part of the brain tied
to empathy, than people who did not meditate.
And improved balance between right and
left brain after meditation:
http://www.newbrainnewworld.com/?Altered_States%26nbsp%3B:Meditation.
Gifted matematicians; showed a faster and more accurate ability to
exchange information between hemispheres than those of average
mathematical ability.
http://www.superconsciousness.com/topics/health/meditation-key-unlocking-human-brain.
Dr. Shanida Nataraja: We have two sides of
our brain and each of those sides contains a different way of
thinking and perceiving. In our modern world, a lot of us tend to be
very left brain focused. So we’re very rational, analytical and
strategic, and our society in many ways encourages those
characteristics. Meditation gives us a tool by which we can switch
our brain activity from the left to the right brain, because
sustained attention is a right-brained function, and in doing so, we
gain access to a different way of thinking and perceiving. Modern
society discriminates against the right hemisphere." — Nobel
Laureate Roger Sperry.
Yogies; The left brain controls
the right side of the body and the right brain controls the left side
of the body. The right brain contains the fifth brain circuit which
is a holistic, superconscious state and is a major goal of Tantric
rituals - brings the feeling of bliss, a vision of wholeness, and a
neurosomatic ability to see, among many other benefits. It is also
the first step to even higher brain circuits with abilities we almost
never tap into.
The left brain has been most revered in
western culture. Only recently have investigators linked the increase
in potential and feelings of wholeness reported by meditators with
the activation of the right side of brain, including increased
empathy, relaxation, creativity and mental alertness. Experiments
showing significantly reduced anxiety and neuroticism in meditators
and increases in the sense of self control and self-actualization
suggest that meditation may be an important aid to good psychological
health.
A
preliminary report on a five year study of Ananda Marga
meditators shows that average blood
pressures
are lower than for a comparable group of non-meditators. Two major
studies, one at
Dartmouth
University and the other at Stanford University, showed experienced
Ananda Marga
meditators
to be producing a high level of theta brainwaves which seem to be
associated with higher
levels
of consciousness.
This theory seems a bit strange, but getting popular: Dennis Mackenna http: A-new-theory-of-neural-evolution. Short cut, Tony Wright explains; Human brain rapid expansion in size and complexity stalled suddenly roughly 200,000 years ago and our brains have been shrinking ever since... goes hand in hand with our species wide insanity.
During millions of years of evolution in the African tropical forest we developed a symbiosis with fruit, the most complex tissue in the known universe evolved... Fruit has very unique, highly complex hormonally active chemistry.... Today’s ‘junk’ food has the opposite effect, causing the unique process to reverse.Even the slightest alterations in the structure or chemistry of the brain can result in major changes in overall functioning, how we perceive the world, and our sense of self. The powerful effects of taking even a minute dose of a psychedelic being a perfect example of this sensitivity!
... Our reproductive, immune and highly sensitive neural systems were mostly affected, especially during its early development in the uterus.... and because the left hemisphere of the brain is more sensitive to steroids this side inevitably erodes at a quicker rate.
The characteristics of the dominant left hemisphere, conceptual and rational thought/speech, are some of our most advanced traits. The development of the brain and in particular one side of the neocortex is now incomplete, and paradoxically the most retarded side has assumed control. With a loss of functioning we become less able to experience, understand and know, and with this comes fear. Fear played a part in suppressing the more baffling perceptions of the right hemisphere. The evidence suggests those abilities as well as a wholly different sense of self lie dormant in the right side of our brain and is only occasionally glimpsed by a tiny minority of people.
The myths of a previous golden age and humanities fall into dark times are found all over the world; Bible, Eskimos, Aborigines, Mayans etc. The origin of these ancient practices, such as shamanism, meditation, etc, were borne out of techniques to reduce the influence of left hemisphere and/or engage the abilities of the increasingly suppressed right hemisphere. Although if you do meditation, dream or use psychedelic drugs, it may still be only a glimpse of a state of being that our distant ancestors considered “normal”.
Some thoughts: We are learning more about the beneficial properties of fruit bio-chemistry. One tomato for example contains 10,000 different phytochemicals, influencing the way the DNA is read and thereby influencing the structures, can affect brain size? Katherine Milton has found that our diets now contain only 5% of what they used to when we lived in Africa on average. That means we lost thousands of transcription modifying chemicals. Or that what a mother consumes can have a life long impact on the child after birth?
That
our left hemisphere has advanced abilities, is a conclusion reached
by our left
hemisphere!
http://beyond-belief.org.uk/
http://www.disinfo.com/2012/04/planthuman-symbiosis-and-the-fall-of-humanity-... : http://leftinthedark.org.uk/Files/Foreword%20as%20in%20book.pdf
http://beyond-belief.org.uk/
http://www.disinfo.com/2012/04/planthuman-symbiosis-and-the-fall-of-humanity-... : http://leftinthedark.org.uk/Files/Foreword%20as%20in%20book.pdf
In his book Food
of the Gods,
McKenna proposed that the transformation from Homo erectus to the
species Homo sapiens mainly had to do with the addition of the
mushroom Psilocybe cubensis in its diet - about 100,000 BC.
One of the effects; mushrooms significantly improves the visual
acuity of humans - an evolutionary advantage to humans - made it
easier for them to hunt. In higher doses, the mushroom acts as a
sexual stimulator – evolutionarily would result in more offspring,
and to "dissolve boundaries"; community-bonding and group
sexual activities - mixing of genes; genetic diversity. The mushroom
had also given religious experiences. Dennis
McKenna, new theory of neural evolution:
http://leftinthedark.org.uk/sites/default/files/Left%20in%20the%20Dark%20free%20edition.pdf.
…..........
Critisism: "The
'Stoned Ape' Theory of Human Evolution", lacks evidence. There
aren't any mushrooms at ancient fire sites. Anyone with a rudimentary
understanding of evolutionary biology can see that there is no logic
behind this story. And
small
squirrel monkeys do like to intoxicate on fermented fruits and even
would steal beer cans.
..............
..............
Sarkar
said
that most beneficial for human brain and spirituality is to eat
greens, but also (alkaline) fruits, nuts, and vegetables are
beneficial for meditation. Yogis found sentient food to be most
beneficial for uplifting mind and body functions. Junk food, meat etc
are harmful to both body and mind. For sure also drugs, as they
destroy the mind and body although they might have in some sense
short time benefits, but eventually which will come back to haunt
down the user.
Sarkar
said that human scull is increasing in size compared to body in the
future, because we will use our brain more than body.
…...............
There
might be some truth also, who knows, what comes to Mackenna's theory
of shrinking left side of brain, but human beings are becoming more
spiritual:
Sarkar said that human development was first more in physical level
(I.e stone age, agrarian revolution), and then next in intellectual
and psychic level (middle age) and now human beings are developing
more spiritually.
Wide
consumption of mushrooms
by Homo
Sapiens,
I don't believe - by the way, interestingly, we should not eat
mushrooms, because they take energy from human body, as they are
parasite plants, utilizing other plants for their growth.
So
if
you eat lots of mushrooms, the mushrooms might eat your brain!!! But
as the greens take photons from the sunshine, your brain might grow
if you eat lots of greens!!! And not only that, but you might become
green like Ets!!! Wow!!!
But this is too much: http://www.expansions.com/irradia-couple/, Russian scientist eating radiated food!
And this: Scientists
Say You ARE Artificial! “Physicists say they may have evidence that the universe is a
computer simulation. How? They made a computer simulation of the
universe. “And since there would be simulations within simulations, it is therefore
more likely that our world is artificial. “Now researchers, University in Germany say they have evidence this may be true.” Wow who will believe!!!
Didi
Annapurna
Hey there,
VastaaPoistaI've enjoyed your coverage the changing human brain. I recently just finished working on an infographic that looks at the shrinking human brain and explores interesting questions and statistics on the topic. I thought I would share it with you in the hopes you might make some use of it. Here's the link: http://www.superscholar.org/shrinking-brain/
Best Wishes,
Jack
How nice, thanks!
PoistaDidi