Meditation Makes People More Rational Decision-Makers

Meditation, the ancient practice of mindfulness employed by all major religions, can actually reprogram the brain to be more rational and less emotional, researchers in Canada and the United States say.

The researchers looked at a classic psychological test called the Ultimatum Game. In this test, researchers propose this scenario: A friend or relative has won some sum of money and then offers the test subject a small portion of it - will they accept the money?

Surprisingly, despite the fact that it's a windfall, multiple tests over 30 years show that only about a quarter of people say yes. The rest reply that it's not fair because the person offering the money has lots and that they should get more.

People who practice Buddhist meditation behaved differently. Researchers found in their test that more than 50% of Buddhist meditators took the rational offer of free money, rather than rejecting it because it felt unfair. (MORE)

Source: USA Today