A specific region of the brain (anterior prefrontal cortex) appears to be larger in individuals who are good at turning their thoughts inward and reflecting upon their decisions, according to new research published in the journal Science. This act of introspection — or “thinking about your thinking” — is a key aspect of human consciousness, though scientists have noted plenty of variation in peoples’ abilities to introspect.
Fleming and the researchers designed the task to be difficult, so that participants were never completely sure if their answer was correct. They reasoned that participants who are good at introspection would be confident after making correct decisions about the patch, and less confident when they were incorrect about the patch. By adjusting the task, the researchers ensured all of the participants’ decision-making abilities were on par with each others’ — only the participants’ knowledge of their own decision-making abilities differed.
“It’s like that show, ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'” said Weil. “An introspective contestant will go with his or her final answer when they are quite sure of it, and perhaps phone a friend when they are unsure. But, a contestant who is less introspective would not be as effective at judging how likely their answer is to be correct.”
While meditation has long been in use in the traditional form of medication in various cultures, it is only recently that the conventional physicians have come to realize as well as acknowledge the advantages of meditation or self-introspection for our body and mind. Different people may describe meditation differently, but precisely speaking the term basically denotes introspecting oneself or self examination. Meditation may be called a process whereby you stop worrying about the external apprehensions and alarm and concentrate your mind on the tranquility present in yourself. If you think that mediation is an intricate process and cannot be performed without the help of a trainer, you are awfully wrong. On the contrary, meditation is a simple process and one may start meditating by trying to listen and going along with the sound of your inhaling and exhaling. Initially, you may find it difficult to concentrate on the job for long and get distracted. Don’t allow this to worry you, but simply ignore the causes of distraction, concentrate your thoughts and carry on with the process again.
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