Mindfulness training for primary care patients with anxiety or depression increased activity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex when anticipating pain, and this brain change was strongly linked to initiating health behavior changes. Greater increases in this brain response correlated with higher levels of action plan initiation, suggesting that mindfulness strengthens emotion regulation and goal-directed behavior in the face of discomfort.
Modern neuroscience uses objective, quantitative methods to measure how mental events correspond to brain activity, while ancient contemplative traditions have relied on first-person introspective practices to understand the mind. Combining these approaches could be mutually enriching and synergistic. The scientific study of the mind would benefit greatly from including expert contemplative practitioners not only as study participants but as full co-investigators.