What will I learn about: the two foundational types of meditation: focusing intensely on a single object like your breath, and cultivating equanimity by observing thoughts without reacting?

Discover the two foundational types of meditation: focusing intensely on a single object like your breath, and cultivating equanimity by observing thoughts without reacting.

What will I learn about: Learn how meditation physically alters your stress response, lowering cortisol production and helping your blood pressure return to normal faster after anxiety-inducing events?

Learn how meditation physically alters your stress response, lowering cortisol production and helping your blood pressure return to normal faster after anxiety-inducing events.

What will I learn about: the brain science behind emotional regulation, specifically how meditation strengthens the link between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex to reduce reactivity to strong emotions?

Understand the brain science behind emotional regulation, specifically how meditation strengthens the link between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex to reduce reactivity to strong emotions.

What will I learn about: why multitasking is an inefficient habit that exhausts your brain, and how brief meditation exercises can repair your concentration and dramatically improve cognitive performance?

Find out why multitasking is an inefficient habit that exhausts your brain, and how brief meditation exercises can repair your concentration and dramatically improve cognitive performance.

What will I learn about: your wandering mind by learning how meditation deactivates the brain's energy-draining 'default mode' that takes over when you are seemingly doing nothing?

Master your wandering mind by learning how meditation deactivates the brain's energy-draining 'default mode' that takes over when you are seemingly doing nothing.

Altered Traits

Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body

Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson

★ 4.7 / 5(259 ratings)

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Categories:

Science Mindfulness & Happiness

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that the real power of meditation isn’t just a temporary state of calm, but the ability to physically rewire your brain’s permanent traits?
💡Have you ever wondered what happened when neuroscientists put the brains of master yogis under a microscope to uncover the secrets of human potential?
💡What if you could filter out the myths and discover exactly which meditation techniques are scientifically proven to transform your mental well-being?

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Key Takeaways from Altered Traits

✓Discover the two foundational types of meditation: focusing intensely on a single object like your breath, and cultivating equanimity by observing thoughts without reacting.
✓Learn how meditation physically alters your stress response, lowering cortisol production and helping your blood pressure return to normal faster after anxiety-inducing events.
✓Understand the brain science behind emotional regulation, specifically how meditation strengthens the link between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex to reduce reactivity to strong emotions.
✓Find out why multitasking is an inefficient habit that exhausts your brain, and how brief meditation exercises can repair your concentration and dramatically improve cognitive performance.
✓Master your wandering mind by learning how meditation deactivates the brain's energy-draining 'default mode' that takes over when you are seemingly doing nothing.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Altered Traits

Mind Map

Altered Traits

Types of Meditation+

Stress & Emotion Regulation+

Focus vs. Multitasking+

Default Mode Network (DMN)+

Physical Brain Changes+

Mental Health Benefits+

Compassion & Empathy+

Dose-Response of Practice+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

According to the text, what is the primary goal of the meditation practice derived directly from Gautama Buddha?

A. To focus entirely on a single object, such as the breath, to build concentration.
B. To remain aware of passing thoughts but refrain from reacting to them to develop equanimity.
C. To completely empty the mind of all conscious thoughts and enter a trance state.
D. To actively visualize positive outcomes and replace self-hating thoughts with romantic fantasies.

Question 2 of 8

How does meditation help reduce emotional reactivity to stress triggers, according to Richard J. Davidson's brain scan studies?

A. By decreasing the overall physical size of the amygdala.
B. By completely deactivating the amygdala during stressful social events.
C. By strengthening the link between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.
D. By shifting emotional processing from the amygdala to the posterior cingulate cortex.

Question 3 of 8

What did Eyal Ophir's 2009 study reveal about the brain's ability to multitask?

A. The brain can successfully multitask if trained properly through mindfulness meditation.
B. Multitasking is highly efficient for routine tasks but poor for complex cognitive functions.
C. The brain cannot actually multitask; it merely switches attention quickly, which exhausts concentration.
D. Multitasking uses fewer areas of the brain, leading to lower metabolic energy consumption.

Question 4 of 8

What happens when the brain enters its 'default mode' during periods of perceived rest?

A. The brain significantly reduces its metabolic energy consumption to recharge.
B. The brain becomes highly active, often leading to unhappy distraction and a wandering mind.
C. The brain naturally enters a deep meditative state that promotes emotional healing.
D. The prefrontal cortex completely shuts down to allow the amygdala to process suppressed emotions.

Question 5 of 8

Why does the text suggest taking studies about meditation strengthening the brain 'with a grain of salt'?

A. The studies were largely funded by biased mindfulness organizations.
B. The participants in the studies practiced vastly different types of meditation, making it hard to isolate what caused the positive effects.
C. The fMRI machines used in the studies were proven to be faulty in measuring prefrontal cortex activity.
D. The brain growth observed in the studies reversed immediately after the participants stopped meditating.

Question 6 of 8

How does Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) primarily assist patients suffering from depression?

A. It completely suppresses the production of cortisol to eliminate feelings of sadness.
B. It replaces the need for traditional pharmaceutical treatment in all forms of clinical depression.
C. It reinforces the insula, helping patients gain perspective on their lives instead of being overwhelmed by emotions.
D. It teaches patients to completely ignore negative thoughts and focus only on childhood memories.

Question 7 of 8

What unprecedented scientific observation was made when Tibetan monk Mingyur Rinpoche practiced compassion meditation in the lab?

A. His brain waves completely flatlined, indicating a state of absolute physiological rest.
B. The areas of his brain associated with empathy showed an 800 percent increase in activation compared to resting levels.
C. His brain's metabolic energy usage dropped to zero while his heart rate spiked.
D. His prefrontal cortex physically expanded in volume within a one-minute interval.

Question 8 of 8

Which of the following best summarizes the relationship between the duration of meditation practice and its benefits?

A. Short meditation sessions provide permanent changes to brain structure, making long-term practice unnecessary.
B. Beginners experience no measurable benefits until they have meditated for at least 1,000 hours.
C. Even short periods of meditation offer immediate benefits, but long-lasting neural traits require sustained, long-term practice.
D. Meditation only lowers cortisol levels in seasoned yogis, while beginners only experience a slight increase in concentration.

Altered Traits — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Two forms of meditation involve focusing on one thing and not reacting to thoughts.
32 — Meditation lowers reactions to emotional cues and stress triggers.
43 — Multitasking tires the brain, while meditation strengthens mental ability.
54 — Meditation switches off the brain’s default mode when we’re doing nothing.
65 — Research suggests meditation strengthens the brain, but the findings should be viewed carefully.
76 — Meditation can help soothe depression and reduce its risk.
87 — Intensive meditation can lead to high levels of compassion.
98 — The more you meditate, the greater the benefits become.
109 — Final summary

Altered Traits Summary & Overview

Altered Traits (2017) takes an empirical look at the art of meditation and details the benefits it has on our mental well-being. It also looks at different types of meditation, as well as the effects of meditative practices on different groups, including experienced meditators, students and even a yogi.

Who Should Listen to Altered Traits?

People who need a reason to start meditating
Meditation skeptics
Those who value self-improvement and self-care

About the Author: Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson

Daniel Goleman is an author and Harvard graduate. One of his best-known books is Emotional Intelligence (1995). Goleman’s interest in meditation began with a two-year trip to India when he was a student.

Richard J. Davidson is a psychologist from Harvard and the director of a neurological laboratory in Wisconsin. Davidson has been studying the effects of meditation on individual well-being for decades.

Altered Traits

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to Altered Traits — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from Altered Traits

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Altered Traits — Full Chapter Overview

Altered Traits Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to Altered Traits?

About the Author: Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson

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