Your brain on art, nature, and meditation: a pilot neuroimaging study.
Frontiers in human neuroscience January 1, 2024 Beatrix Krause-Sorio, Sergio Becerra, Prabha Siddarth et al. 1 citation
Watching videos of galactic nebulas while meditating on universal connectedness activates brain regions involved in object, sensory, and memory processing, including the bilateral lateral occipital and fusiform gyri, right postcentral gyrus, and hippocampus. Compared to viewing AI-generated digital art or nature videos, meditation produced increased brain activity in sensory integration and sensorimotor areas such as the left parietal operculum and bilateral postcentral and supramarginal gyri. A pilot fMRI study with nine healthy adults (mean age 29; 5 women) used a block design to compare these conditions. The findings suggest distinct neural responses for meditative contemplation versus passive viewing of art or nature, though further research is needed to clarify therapeutic applications.