Mind Over Matter: How Spiritual Practices Might Sharpen Your Mind

Researchers have been digging into how spiritual practices might boost brain health. They looked at studies from all over the globe, mostly from North America and Asia. The findings suggest that activities like meditation, tai chi, yoga, and other spiritual practices could have short and medium-term benefits for the brain.

Out of the 34 studies reviewed, most showed that people who were more spiritually active tended to have better cognitive health. Some of these studies even pointed to biological reasons, like reduced inflammation and a stronger immune response.

But here's the catch: only a few studies looked at the middlemen, or mediators, that might explain how spiritual practices affect the brain. The rest just looked at the outcomes. The researchers put together a model to explain these connections, but it needs more testing to be sure.

The big takeaway? Spiritual practices might help the brain through mental health and biological pathways. But the researchers say we need more rigorous and long-term studies to really understand how and why this happens.