Altered Traits Book Summary - Altered Traits Book explained in key points

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Altered Traits summary

Name: Altered Traits
Rating: 4.7 (253 reviews)
Author: Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson

Daniel Goleman Richard J. Davidson

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

4.7 (253 ratings)

21 mins

Brief summary

Altered Traits by Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson explores the science of meditation and its potential to change our minds and bodies on a fundamental level, based on decades of research.

Topics

Meditation

Table of Contents

Altered Traits
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Learn how meditation can help you become a better person.

It’s easy to be sceptical about meditation. Given its increasing popularity in the Western world over the past decades, it can be seen as a fad without real substance.

But the good news is that the value of meditation can be determined scientifically. Citing numerous studies – some of which were conducted by the authors themselves – understanding meditation from a scientific point-of-view will satiate curious minds.

These blinks explain how meditation helps to develop positive attributes that will help you become a better individual. We’ll explore specific parts of the brain affected by meditative practices and learn how we can use the knowledge to our advantage.

The benefits of meditation are for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned meditator or someone who’s looking to try it out for the first time.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

why multitasking isn’t helpful;
the implications of a wandering mind; and
how meditation can help you better process emotion.

Two types of meditation include focusing on a singular thing and not reacting to thoughts.

When he was a Harvard graduate student, Goleman, one of the authors, traveled to India to learn about meditation. There are many different types of meditation, but Goleman was advised by one of his meditation teachers, Anagarika Munindra, to study one found in an ancient text called the Visuddhimagga, or Path to Purification.

This type of meditation focuses on a single thing.

Written in the fifth century, the Visuddhimagga is the principal text of Theravada Buddhism, a branch that is widespread among many Southeast Asian nations. It’s also the source of mindfulness, which teaches you to develop your concentration by focusing explicitly on one thing.

Typically, you begin by focusing on your breath. In the beginning, it will be hard to concentrate on one thing as your mind zips back and forth between thoughts. However, with practice, your thoughts will calm and your mind will become quiet so that the only thing you are paying attention to is your breathing.

Another type of meditation is based on not reacting to your thoughts.

It comes directly from the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, who lived during the sixth century BC. In contrast to the type of meditation mentioned earlier, this one encourages you to remain cognizant of all your thoughts. What’s important here is to refrain from reacting to them.

You need to instantly let go of thoughts as they pop into your mind, instead of hanging on and becoming consumed by them. Over time you will develop equanimity, meaning that it won’t matter whether the thoughts you have are self-hating or romantic fantasies – they’ll simply become passing musings that bear no impact on your core consciousness.

Regardless of whether you prefer the first or second type of meditation, both are equally respected. The main thing to consider is which type will benefit you the most. In the following blinks, we’ll take a look at what those benefits are.

Meditation reduces reactions to emotional cues and stress triggers.

Picture yourself in an interview with two potential employers who show no signs of empathy or encouragement. After trying to prove yourself as a valuable addition to their company, they ask you to do a bit of arithmetic: Start with 1324, then subtract 17, then minus 17 again and keep going without making any errors.

This is a form of the Trier Social Stress Test – a psychological test that calculates participants’ reactions to social stress situations. Participants’ heart rates and blood pressure are measured to determine how they handle certain stress triggers.

Multitasking exhausts the brain, whereas meditation strengthens our mental ability.

Multitasking is a common phenomenon of the modern world. Nowadays, we’re juggling various duties while being bombarded with texts, calls, emails, Facebook notifications and Instagram photos.

Some try to work on their ability to handle several tasks at once, but multitasking is inefficient and mentally exhausting.

Meditation turns off the default mode our brain enters when we do nothing.

When faced with a difficult mathematical equation, you probably think your brain needs to fire up in order to solve it. But when engaged in arduous tasks, many areas of the brain deactivate. Moreover, when we do nothing at all, these same parts of the brain reactivate. So when we’re doing nothing, our brains aren’t really resting.

In fact, the brain enters what is called the default mode. Neuroscientist Marcus Raichle, who worked at Washington University in St. Louis, discovered in 2001 that when we think we’re doing nothing, many parts of the brain show high activity.

Studies indicate that meditation strengthens the brain, but we must take these findings with a grain of salt.

Meditation can calm people and help their focus. But what if meditation has a bigger impact, particularly on our brain cells?

There are studies that indicate meditation makes the brain stronger. The first evidence for this came from a 2005 study conducted by Sara Lazar, who worked at Harvard Medical School. Lazar found that meditation made certain areas of the brain grow thicker. The implications of what this would mean for humans has yet to be determined, but the study did suggest that parts of the brain were improving.

Meditation helps to soothe and reduce the risk of depression.

Western branches of medicine have not yet found an adequate response to psychiatric disorders that aren’t responsive to drugs. Perhaps meditation could help?

Some studies suggest that meditation can help to alleviate depression.

Intense meditation can result in high levels of compassion.

In the autumn of 2002, a Tibetan monk named Mingyur Rinpoche arrived at Madison Airport in Wisconsin. One of the authors had invited the monk to his lab so that he could measure the brain activity of a yogi – the master of meditation.

The author found that neurological changes were more visible in the brain of a yogi.

The more you meditate, the greater the benefits.

There are many different types of meditators around the world. Some meditate sporadically, while others go off to meditation retreats and practice for thousands of hours. If you’re a yogi, then meditating over a three-year period is nothing out of the ordinary. Similar to the various types of meditation, the effects are different for everyone.

But even meditating just a little bit will help you see beneficial effects.

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What is Altered Traits about?

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.

Altered Traits Review

Altered Traits (2017) by Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson explores the science of meditation and its impact on our minds and bodies. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Through in-depth research and studies, it offers a comprehensive understanding of how meditation can transform our emotions, stress levels, and overall well-being.
With its credible insights from renowned scientists and meditation practitioners, the book presents a balanced view of the benefits and limitations of meditation.
By sharing practical techniques for incorporating meditation into our daily lives, the book empowers readers to experience the positive effects firsthand, making it both informative and actionable.

Best quote from Altered Traits

Once we glimpse our mind as a set of processes, rather than getting swept away by the seductions of our thoughts, we enter the path of insight.

—Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson

Who should read 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 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.

Categories with Altered Traits

Science Mindfulness & Happiness

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