Dalai Lama Inspires Research on Happiness

By Katie Leavitt, Tonic

Why do scientists tend to focus on the negative, studying depression, anxiety and fear? What would happen if they spent more time looking at the positive, trying to understand what makes someone happy, or kind, or content? What makes a healthy mind?

That is what the Dalai Lama wants to know, and why he summoned researcher Richard Davidson to India eight years ago to ask him those very questions. Davidson, a leading neuroscientist studying the brain and emotions, didn’t have an answer.

Davidson and the Dalai Lama have since joined together to enhance the study of happiness, compassion and other positive traits in the opening of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. The center will be the only one in the world to study meditation right next to brain imaging, determined to investigate their “Change your mind. Change the world” philosophy.

The research team, so far, has studied brain function on Buddhist monks and other meditation masters. They were looking to see why meditation led to happiness, kindness and compassion. The goal is to determine what happens in the brain to make this occur and how to instill the positive effects in the general population, especially schools, prisons and medical centers.

“A healthy mind isn’t simply the absence of illness — we can do better than that,” Davidson said in the Wisconsin State Journal. “We can promote resilience and happiness and other positive qualities of the mind through enhanced training and mental exercises.”

Next fall, they will teach fifth-grade teachers how to develop cognitive relaxation and patience skills in their students, hopefully resulting in better learning and less impulsive behavior. The students will then be followed throughout their middle school years to see if there is a lower incidence of bullying and lashing out in anger.

“This center combines the basic behavioral and neuroscientific research that is necessary to move our field forward with the translational component, which is critical to extend our work beyond the walls of our laboratory,” Davidson said in a press release. “By developing and offering interventions for schools, hospitals, prisons and communities, we hope to create real change for society.”

Read more: Mental Wellness, Spirit, dalai lama, happiness

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Emma S.

2:26PM PDT on Oct 26, 2011

Good that happiness is being looked into, not just the absence of misery. It's good to aim high!

send a green star

Antoinette R.

4:35PM PDT on Aug 26, 2010

interesting

Chinmayee J.

9:53PM PDT on Aug 23, 2010

This is beautiful :) In some Indian jails, they are already offering Vipassanna meditation, which is a silent meditation and is an amazing technique which I have personally experienced. It seems to work wonders :) I'm glad they're researching this and applying it for the benefit of mankind and society.

Inez Deborah A.

6:10PM PDT on Jun 20, 2010

Maybe the world will end and the Buddhists were right to say we could throw in the towel, but as my father used to say "We´ve not got there yet", could the Dalai Lama please explain how under the "enlightened rule" of the lamas, legs were paralyzed as a penalty by sinews being cut at the ankle

Nellie K A.

7:47PM PDT on Jun 6, 2010

The brain scan shows the brain activities and what happens to the brain and stuff, but it goes beyond science.

7:44PM PDT on Jun 6, 2010

Happiness, Prayer, Faith, and other things cannot be studied or understood with science, it goes beyond science, it's spiritual,l metaphysical and supernatural.

Aleksandra S.

11:32AM PDT on Jun 6, 2010

thanks

Angelica P.

8:57PM PDT on Jun 5, 2010

I agree with article.

Mervi R.

11:54PM PDT on Jun 1, 2010

Brilliant article, thanks!

Gwendolyn K.

9:21PM PDT on Jun 1, 2010

This is cool! Thanks for the post. I have respect for the Dalai Lama and his writings.