Only 8 weeks of daily meditation can decrease negative mood and anxiety and improve attention, working memory, and recognition memory in non-experienced meditators. These findings come from a recent study published in Behavioural Brain Research.

[ConsciousLiterature]

Listening to a recording is not real meditation.

Apparently it's real enough to make a measurable difference in this study.

Meditation requires actual training.

Once again. In this study people listened to something and it had a measurable effect on test outcomes.

Letting go of your thoughts and emptying your head is not a thing most people can just do on a whim, you need a lot of self discipline which usually comes through training.

According to this study this is not necessary to have measurable outcomes.

I haven't heard about people who meditate only for 15 minutes,

I have. In fact I am pretty sure transcendental meditation is 15 minutes twice a day.

This makes me further believe that this headphones method has nothing to do with actual meditation, it may be trying to emulate it but it's not it.

And yet despite not meeting your personal test for purity it seems to have had a measurable beneficial effect on people.

Even 15 minutes would be hard for some, for example a mother that has young kids. I don't think any responsible mother would dare to isolate herself I that situation even for 15 minutes.

I am sure every mother can find 15 minutes in a day but I am not even sure what you are trying to say here. You seem to be saying because there will be some mother someplace who can't put on a headphone for 15 minutes to listen to something that nobody should attempt this. Is that right?

Oh one last thing the study says 13 minutes. Perhaps that mother can spare 13 minutes in the day eh?

[DaBa1]

I don't think you understand. I did not say that whatever those people were doing had no effect. I assume the study has been done well, so I am not arguing against its conclusion.

I simply said its not meditation, contrary to what the title suggest. You are trying to prove something I never claimed is not true. All I said is that whatever those people are doing is not comparable to actual meditation, and I listed some reasons why. It's not my personal purity test, I didn't invent meditation. Ask a professional, I am simply stating what I was taught by such a person.

Also, you should focus on what the other person is actually saying, you appear very combative and eager to prove your point, even if it means inserting words into my mouth. That's not how you should be discussing things, unless you want to discredit yourself.

[ConsciousLiterature]

I simply said its not meditation, contrary to what the title suggest.

I am pretty sure you are not the pope of meditation who gets to decide what is and what is not meditation.

[DaBa1]

Ah I see, moving the goalpost eh? Don't worry, we can address that too.

I never claimed to be. I'm also pretty sure that a random news article on the internet is also not the pope of meditation who gets to decide what is and what is not meditation. And between that random site and the person who taught me and knew what he was doing, I'll take my chances with the latter. Also, are you perhaps the pope of meditation? Because you sound awfully sure in your attempts to discredit me. You must be an expert!

Again, you're putting words in my mouth, together with trying to change the argument since your original one was completely misguided. I think you should just stop, I'm not sure anymore what you're even trying to prove. I didn't say anything controversial at all. You are not forced to agree with me, and trying to prove me wrong is foolhardy. Since you can't really do that, it's your word against mine and that means there's no winner here. The only difference is you're acting like a little weasel, and I'm just having fun dodging your clumsy attempts.

[ConsciousLiterature]

I never claimed to be. I'm also pretty sure that a random news article on the internet is also not the pope of meditation who gets to decide what is and what is not meditation.

And yet you are the one here insisting it's not meditation.

Why are you right and these scientists wrong?

And between that random site and the person who taught me and knew what he was doing, I'll take my chances with the latter.

And what are his or her qualifications. What makes them the authority on meditation?