Read Dr. Hanson’s paper on positive brain change published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Positive Psychology, December 6, 2021.

The collection of scientific papers below was created by the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom and you can find a variety of resources on their website related to brain science, relationships, well-being, contemplative practice, and similar topics.

This list was curated by Ph.D. Student Tomeka Jacobs – see her full bio here.

General

Neuropsychology

Nervous System Structure and Function

• A Default Mode Of Brain Function
• The Dynamic Brain: From Spiking Neurons To Neural Masses And Cortical Fields
• Mapping The Structural Core Of Human Cerebral Cortex
• Wandering Minds: The Default Network And Stimulus-Independent Thought
• Whither Vagal Tone

Neuroplasticity

• Learning to Learn from Positive Experiences
• Changes in Cortical Dopamine D1 Receptor Binding Associated with Cognitive Training
• Changes in Grey Matter Induced by Training
• Internally Generated Reactivation of Single Neurons in Human Hippocampus During Free Recall
• The Labile Nature of Consolidation Theory
• Mechanisms for Selection of Basic Motor Programs – Roles for the Striatum and Pallidum
• Memory Traces Unbound
• Neuroplasticity As A Function Of Second Language Learning: Anatomical Changes In The Human Brain
• The Origin Of Synaptic Neuroplasticity: Crucial Molecules Or A Dynamical Cascade?
• Plasticity In Gray And White: Neuroimaging Changes In Brain Structure During Learning
• Structural Brain Alterations Following 5 Days Of Intervention: Dynamic Aspects Of Neuroplasticity
• Training induces changes in white matter architecture
• Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves

Consciousness

• Are There Neural Correlates Of Consciousness?
• Attending To The Present: Mindfulness Meditation Reveals Distinct Neural Modes Of Self-reference
• Biology Of Consciousness
• Brain Sources Of EEG Gamma Frequency During Volitionally Meditation-induced, Altered States Of Consciousness, And Experience Of The Self
• Consciousness And Anesthesia
• A Framework For Consciousness
• Integrated Information In Discrete Dynamical Systems: Motivation And Theoretical Framework
• In The Theatre Of Consciousness: Global Workspace Theory, A Rigorous Scientific Theory Of Consciousness
• Mapping Modalities Of Self-awareness In Mindfulness Practice: A Potential Mechanism For Clarifying Habits Of Mind
• A Neurobehavioral Account For Decentering As The Salve For The Distressed Mind
• Neurophenomenology: Integrating Subjective Experience And Brain Dynamics In The Neuroscience Of Consciousness
• Paying Attention To Consciousness
• Self-awareness, Self-regulation, And Self-transcendence (S-art): A Framework For Understanding The Neurobiological Mechanisms Of Mindfulness
• Six Views Of Embodied Cognition
• Specifying The Self For Cognitive Neuroscience
• The Unbearable Automaticity Of Being 
• What Is The Function Of The Claustrum?

Mindfulness

• The Benefits Of Being Present: Mindfulness And Its Role In Psychological Well-being
• From A State To A Trait: Trajectories Of State Mindfulness In Meditation During Intervention Predict Changes In Trait Mindfulness
• Mechanisms Of Mindfulness
• Meditation, Mindfulness And Cognitive Flexibility
• Mindfulness Defined
• Mindfulness Meditation
• Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition
• Mindfulness Training Alters Emotional Memory Recall Compared To Active Controls: Support For An Emotional Information Processing Model Of Mindfulness
• Mindfulness Training As A Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual And Empirical Review
• Mindfulness Training Modifies Subsystems Of Attention
• Mindfulness: What Is It? Where Did It Come From?
• Moving Beyond Mindfulness: Defining Equanimity As An Outcome Measure In Meditation And Contemplative Research
• The Sisters Of Mindfulness
• Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life

Meditation

• Attention Regulation And Monitoring In Meditation
• The Dynamics Of Theravāda Insight Meditation
• Focused Attention, Open Monitoring And Automatic Self-transcending: Categories To Organize Meditations From Vedic, Buddhist And Chinese Traditions
• Future Directions In Meditation Research: Recommendations For Expanding The Field Of Contemplative Science
• Meditation And The Neuroscience Of Consciousness
• Meditation: Exploring The Farther Reaches
• The Meeting Of Meditative Disciplines And Western Psychology: A Mutually Enriching Dialogue
• Mindfulness, Bliss, And Beyond: A Meditator’s Handbook
• The Psychological Effects Of Meditation: A Meta-analysis
• Reconstructing And Deconstructing The Self: Cognitive Mechanisms In Meditation Practice
• Short-term Meditation Training Improves Attention And Self-regulation
• Toward A Unifying Taxonomy And Definition For Meditation
• The Varieties Of Contemplative Experience: A Mixed-methods Study Of Meditation-related Challenges In Western Buddhists

Positive Psychology

• Learning to Learn from Positive Experiences
• Adaptive Mental Mechanisms – Their Role In A Positive Psychology
• The Benefits Of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead To Success?
• Beyond The Hedonic Treadmill – Revising The Adaptation Theory Of Well-being
• Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation Of Gratitude And Subjective Well-being In Daily Life
• Cultivating Positive Emotions To Optimize Health And Well-being
• Does Positive Affect Influence Health?
• A Functional Genomic Perspective On Human Well-being
• Genomic Counter-stress Changes Induced By The Relaxation Response
• Is Gratitude A Moral Affect?
• Happiness Unpacked: Positive Emotions Increase Life Satisfaction By Building Resilience
• Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-being Contributes To Health And Longevity
• Healthy Happiness: Effects Of Happiness On Physical Health And The Consequences For Preventive Health Care
• Maximizing Versus Satisficing: Happiness Is A Matter Of Choice
• Money Giveth, Money Taketh Away: The Dual Effect Of Wealth On Happiness
• The Neural Bases Of Key Competencies Of Emotional Intelligence
• On Happiness And Human Potentials: A Review Of Research On Hedonic And Eudaimonic Well-being
• Physiological Effects Of Free Singing. Pilot Study On A Novel Approach Of Singing Therapy
• Positive Emotion Dispositions Differentially Associated With Big Five Personality And Attachment Style
• Positive Emotion Persistence
• Positive Emotions Broaden And Build
• Positive Psychology Progress Empirical Validation Of Interventions
• Psychological Resources, Positive Illusions, And Health
• Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture Of Sustainable Change
• Resting Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Is Associated With Tonic Positive Emotionality
• Satisfaction With Life Scale
• Subjective Well-being: Three Decades Of Progress
• Well-being Building Bridges Between Buddhism And Western Psychology

Non-Ordinary States

• A Cartography Of The Ecstatic And Meditative States

Effects on the Brain

Religion and Spirituality

• Can Enlightenment Be Traced To Specific Neural Correlates, Cognition, Or Behavior? No, And (A Qualified) Yes
• Neural Correlates Of Religious Experience
• Neural Correlates Of Personalized Spiritual Experiences
• The Neuroscience Of Spirituality
• The Neuroscientific Study Of Spiritual Practices
• Searching For Neurobiological Foundations  Of Faith And Religion
• Studying The Well-trained Mind

General Meditation

• The Beneficial Effects Of Meditation: Contribution Of The Anterior Cingulate And Locus Coeruleus
• Buddha’s Brain: Neuroplasticity And Meditation
• Cerebral Blood Flow Changes Associated With Different Meditation Practices And Perceived Depth Of Meditation
• Cerebral Blood Flow During Meditative Prayer: Preliminary Findings And Methodological Issues
• Decreased Electrophysiological Activity Represents The Conscious State Of Emptiness In Meditation
• EEG Derived Neuronal Dynamics During Meditation: Progress And Challenges
• Effects Of Meditation Experience On Functional Connectivity Of Distributed Brain Networks
• Enhanced Brain Connectivity In Long-term Meditation Practitioners
• The Exploration Of Meditation In The Neuroscience Of Attention And Consciousness
• From Alpha To Gamma: Electrophysiological Correlates Of Meditation-related States Of Consciousness
• Functional Brain Mapping Of The Relaxation Response And Meditation
• Functional Neuroanatomy Of Meditation: A Review And Meta-analysis Of 78 Functional Neuroimaging Investigations
• Global And Regional Alterations Of Hippocampal Anatomy In Long-term Meditation Practitioners
• Is Meditation Associated With Altered Brain Structure? A Systematic Review And Meta-analysis Of Morphometric Neuroimaging In Meditation Practitioners
• Long-term Meditation Is Associated With Increased Gray Matter Density In The Brain Stem
• Mapping Meditative States And Stages With Electrophysiology: Concepts, Classifications, And Methods
• The Measurement Of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow During The Complex Cognitive Task Of Meditation: A Preliminary Spect Study
• Mechanisms Of White Matter Changes Induced By Meditation
• Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches And Philosophical Implications (Studies In Neuroscience, Consciousness And Spirituality Book 2)
• Meditation Alters Perceptual Rivalry In Tibetan Buddhist Monks
• Meditation And Neurofeedback
• Meditation, Attention And The Brain: Function, Structure And Attentional Performance
• Meditation Effects Within The Hippocampal Complex Revealed By Voxel-based Morphometric And Cytoarchitectonic Probabilistic Mapping
• Meditation Experience Is Associated With Differences In Default Mode Network Activity And Connectivity
• Meditation States And Traits: EEG, ERP, And Neuroimaging Studies
• Mental Training Affects Distribution Of Limited Brain Resources
• Mind Of The Meditator
• Molecular Mechanisms Of Meditation
• The Neural Basis Of The Complex Mental Task Of Meditation: Neurotransmitter And Neurochemical Considerations
• Neurophenomenology And Contemplative Experience
• The Neuropsychological Connection Between Creativity And Meditation
• The Neuroscience Of Meditation: Classification, Phenomenology, Correlates, And Mechanisms
• Non-linear Dynamic Complexity Of The Human EEG During Meditation
• A Phenomenology Of Meditation-induced Light Experiences: Traditional Buddhist And Neurobiological Perspectives
• The Physiology Of Meditation: A Review. A Wakeful Hypometabolic Integrated Response
• Principles And Neurobiological Correlates Of Concentrative, Diffuse, And Insight Meditation
• Review Of The Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation
• Reduced Functional Connectivity Between Cortical Sources In !Ve Meditation Traditions Detected With Lagged Coherence Using Eeg Tomography
• Short-term Meditation Increases Network Efficiency Of The Anterior Cingulate Cortex
• Studies Of Advanced Stages Of Meditation In The Tibetan Buddhist And Vedic Traditions: A Comparison Of General Changes
• The Underlying Anatomical Correlates Of Long-term Meditation: Larger Hippocampal And Frontal Volumes Of Gray Matter
• The Unique Brain Anatomy Of Meditation Practitioners: Alterations In Cortical Gyrification
• What Can Neuroscience Learn From Contemplative Practices?
• Zen And The Brain: Toward An Understanding Of Meditation And Consciousness
• Zen-brain Reflections

Focused Attention Meditation

General

• Attentional Modulation Of Primary Interoceptive And Exteroceptive Cortices
• Differential Changes In Self-reported Aspects Of Interoceptive Awareness Through 3 Months Of Contemplative Training
• Focus On The Breath: Brain Decoding Reveals Internal States Of Attention During Meditation
• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Hippocampal Activation During Silent Mantra Meditation
• Human Anterior And Frontal Midline Theta And Lower Alpha Reflect Emotionally Positive State And Internalized Attention: High-resolution EEG Investigation Of Meditation
• Long-term Meditators Self-induce High-amplitude Gamma Synchrony During Mental Practice
• Meditation Training Increases Brain Efficiency In An Attention Task
• Mind Wandering And Attention During Focused Meditation: A Fine-grained Temporal Analysis Of Fluctuating Cognitive States
• Neural Correlates Of Attentional Expertise In Long-term Meditation Practitioners
• Neural Correlates Of Focused Attention And Cognitive Monitoring In Meditation
• Theta Activity And Meditative States: Spectral Changes During Concentrative Meditation

Movement, Yoga

• First-person Experience And Yoga Research: Studying Neural Correlates Of An Intentional Practice
• Yoga Asana Sessions Increase Brain GABA Levels: A Pilot Study

Compassion, Kindness

• Brain Activation During Compassion Meditation: A Case Study
• Effect Of Compassion Meditation On Neuroendocrine, Innate Immune And Behavioral Responses To Psychosocial Stress
• Loving-kindness Meditation Practice Associated With Longer Telomeres In Women
• The Neural Mediators Of Kindness-based Meditation: A Theoretical Model
• The Neuromagnetic Brain Activation Patterns Of Induced Compassion In Advanced Zen Meditation Practitioners
• The Oxford Handbook Of Compassion Science
• Regulation Of The Neural Circuitry Of Emotion By Compassion Meditation: Effects Of Meditative Expertise
• Specific Reduction In Cortisol Stress Reactivity After Social But Not Attention-based Mental Training
• Structural Plasticity Of The Social Brain: Differential Change After Socio-affective And Cognitive Mental Training

Prayer

• Brain Electrical Activity During Prayer
• A Case Series Study Of The Neurophysiological Effects Of Altered States Of Mind During Intense Islamic Prayer
• Functional Brain Changes During Sema Meditation: Neuronal Correlates And Their Associations With Affective States

Transcendental Meditation

• Autonomic And EEG Patterns During Eyes-closed Rest And Transcendental Meditation (TM) Practice: The Basis For A Neural Model Of TM Practice
• Default Mode Network Activation And Transcendental Meditation Practice: Focused Attention Or Automatic Self-transcending?
• Effects On Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Of Transcendental Meditation
• Electroencephalographic Findings During Mantra Meditation (Transcendental Meditation). A Controlled, Quantitative Study Of Experienced Meditators
• Medial Profrontal Cortex And Anterior Cingulate Cortex In The Generation Of Alpha Activity Induced By Transcendental Meditation: A Magnetoencephalographic Study
• A Self-referential Default Brain State: Patterns Of Coherence, Power, And eLORETA Sources During Eyes-closed Rest And Transcendental Meditation Practice
• Spectral Analysis Of The EEG In Meditation
• Theta Bursts: An EEG Pattern In Normal Subjects Practising The Transcendental Meditation Technique
• Transcendental Experiences During Meditation Practice

Open Awareness Meditation

General

• The Brain On Silent: Mind Wandering, Mindful Awareness, And States Of Mental Tranquility
• An Electroencephalographic Study On The Zen Meditation (Zazen)
• MRI Scanning During Zen Meditation: The Picture Of Enlightenment?
• Open Monitoring Meditation Reduces The Involvement Of Brain Regions Related To Memory Function
• Thinking About Not Thinking: Neural Correlates Of Conceptual Processing During Zen Meditation
• Zazen And Cardiac Variability

Mindfulness Meditation

• Alterations In Resting-state Functional Connectivity Link Mindfulness Meditation With Reduced Interleukin-6: A Randomized Controlled Trial
• Assessing Mindfulness And Acceptance Processes In Clients: Illuminating The Theory And Practice Of Change (Chapter 7)
• Brain Regions Involved In Dispositional Mindfulness During Resting State And Their Relation With Well-being
• Dynamics Of Neural Recruitment Surrounding The Spontaneous Arising Of Thoughts In Experienced Mindfulness Practitioners
• EEG Asymmetry And Mindfulness Meditation
• Experienced Mindfulness Meditators Exhibit Higher Parietal-occipital EEG Gamma Activity During NREM Sleep
• Frontal Theta Activity And White Matter Plasticity Following Mindfulness Meditation
• How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms Of Action From A Conceptual And Neural Perspective
• How Similar Are The Changes In Neural Activity Resulting From Mindfulness Practice In Contrast To Spiritual Practice?
• Investigation Of Mindfulness Meditation Practitioners With Voxel-based Morphometry
• Meditation Experience Is Associated With Increased Cortical Thickness
• Mindfulness Meditation Is Related To Long-lasting Changes In Hippocampal Functional Topology During Resting State: A Magnetoencephalography Study
• Mindfulness Meditation Training Alters Cortical Representations Of Interoceptive Attention
• Mindfulness Meditation Training And Executive Control Network Resting State Functional Connectivity: A Randomized Controlled Trial
• Mindfulness Practice Leads To Increases In Regional Brain Gray Matter Density
• Mindfulness Starts With The Body: Somatosensory Attention And Top-down Modulation Of Cortical Alpha Rhythms In Mindfulness Meditation
• The Neuroscience Of Mindfulness Meditation
• Psychobiology Of Mindfulness
• Studying The Default Mode And Its Mindfulness-induced Changes Using EEG Functional Connectivity
• A Systematic Review Of The Neurophysiology Of Mindfulness On EEG Oscillations
• A Translational Neuroscience Perspective On Mindfulness Meditation As A Prevention Strategy

Peak, Self-Transcendent, Nondual Experiences

• Brain Activity In Near-death Experiencers During A Meditative State
• Changes In Cortical Activity In Altered States Of Consciousness: The Study Of Meditation By High-resolution EEG
• Duality And Nonduality In Meditation Research
• EEG Manifestations Of Nondual Experiences In Meditators
• Effects Of Self-transcendence On Neural Responses To Persuasive Messages And Health Behavior Change
• Functional Neuroanatomy Of Altered States Of Consciousness: The Transient Hypofrontality Hypothesis
• Neural Correlates Of A Mystical Experience In Carmelite Nuns
• Neural Correlates Of Nondual Awareness In Meditation
• A Neurotheological Perspective On Altered States Of Consciousness
• Psychobiology Of Altered States Of Consciousness
• The Transient Hypofrontality Theory Of Altered States Of Consciousness
• The Varieties Of Self-transcendent Experience

Applications

Health

• Alterations In Brain And Immune Function Produced By Mindfulness Meditation
• Clinical Trials Of Meditation Practices In Health Care: Characteristics And Quality
• Effect Of Kindness-based Meditation On Health And Wellbeing: A Systematic Review And Meta-analysis
• Health Benefits Of Meditation What The Newest Research Shows
• Long-term Mindfulness Training Is Associated With Reliable Differences In Resting Respiration Rate
• A Low‐dose Mindfulness Intervention And Recovery From Work: Effects On Psychological Detachment, Sleep Quality, And Sleep Duration
• Meditation And Health: The Search For Mechanisms Of Action

Pain

• Meditation Reduces Pain-related Neural Activity In The Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Insula, Secondary Somatosensory Cortex, And Thalamus
• Mindfulness Meditation-based Pain Relief Employs Different Neural Mechanisms Than Placebo And Sham Mindfulness Meditation-induced Analgesia
• Pain Attenuation Through Mindfulness Is Associated With Decreased Cognitive Control And Increased Sensory Processing In The Brain

Emotion Regulation

• Deconstructing The Emotion Regulatory Properties Of Mindfulness: An Electrophysiological Investigation
• Experienced Meditators, Cancer Survivors, And Matched Controls Assemble Different Neural Resources To Process Emotion
• Impact Of Meditation On Emotional Processing—a Visual ERP Study
• Mindful Attention To Breath Regulates Emotions Via Increased Amygdala-prefrontal Cortex Connectivity
• Mindfulness And Emotion Regulation – An fMRI Study
• Neural Circuits Of Emotion Regulation: A Comparison Of Mindfulness-based And Cognitive Reappraisal Strategies
• Neural Correlates Of Mindfulness Meditation-related Anxiety Relief

Attention

• Meditation-state Functional Connectivity (msFC): Strengthening Of The Dorsal Attention Network And Beyond
• Regular, Brief Mindfulness Meditation Practice Improves Electrophysiological Markers Of Attentional Control

Related Topics

Systems Theory

• Cognitive Time Scales In A Necker-Zeno Model For Bistable Perception
• Contextual Emergence From Physics To Cognitive Neuroscience

Psychotherapy

• A Neurobiologically Informed Perspective On Psychotherapy
• A New Intellectual Framework For Psychiatry

Nutrition

• Homocysteine-lowering By B Vitamins Slows The Rate Of Accelerated Brain Atrophy In Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Pain and Punishment

• Placebo And Opioid Analgesia – Imaging A Shared Neuronal Network

Pleasure and Reward

• Affective Neuroscience Of Pleasure: Reward In Humans And Animals
• Amygdalar And Prefrontal Pathways To The Lateral Hypothalamus Are Activated By A Learned Cue That Stimulates Eating
• Baby Schema Modulates The Brain Reward System In Nulliparous Women
• Cocaine Cues And Dopamine In Dorsal Striatum: Mechanism Of Craving In Cocaine Addiction
• Decision Utility, The Brain, And Pursuit Of Hedonic Goals
• Dissecting Components Of Reward: ‘liking’, ‘wanting’, And Learning
• Duality Of Salience In Dopamine Neurons
• Dynamic Computation Of Incentive Salience: “Wanting” What Was Never “Liked”
• Hedonic Hot Spot In Nucleus Accumbens Shell: Where Do Mu-opioids Cause Increased Hedonic Impact Of Sweetness?
• Hedonic Hot Spots In The Brain
• Liking’ And ‘wanting’ Food Rewards: Brain Substrates And Roles In Eating Disorders
• Motivational Salience: Amygdala Tuning From Traits, Needs, Values, And Goals
• The Neurobiology Of Pleasure, Reward Processes, Addiction And Their Health Implications
• The Neuroscience Of Pleasure. Focus On “Ventral Pallidum Firing Codes Hedonic Reward: When A Bad Taste Turns Good”
• Pleasures Of The Brain
• The Tempted Brain Eats: Pleasure And Desire Circuits In Obesity And Eating Disorders
• Towards A Functional Neuroanatomy Of Pleasure And Happiness
• Which Cue To “Want?” Central Amygdala Opioid Activation Enhances And Focuses Incentive Salience On A Prepotent Reward Cue

Negativity Bias

• Bad Is Stronger Than Good
• Negative Information Weighs More Heavily On The Brain: The Negativity Bias In Evaluative Categorizations
• Negativity Bias, Negativity Dominance, And Contagion

Emotion

• Anatomy In Emotion: A Meta-analysis Of Findings From Neuroimaging
• Disruption Of Right Prefrontal Cortex By Low-frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Induces Risk-taking Behavior
• Does Rejection Hurt? An fMRI Study Of Social Exclusion
• Embodying Emotion
• Emotional And Physical Health
• Emotion-induced Changes In Human Medial Prefrontal Cortex: During Anticipatory Anxiety
• The Eureka Hunt: Why Do Good Ideas Come To Us When They Do?
• Neuroimaging Support For Discrete Neural Correlates Of Basic Emotions: A Voxel-based Meta-analysis
• Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions To Bounce Back From Negative Emotional Experiences
• Valence, Gender, And Lateralization Of Functional Brain Anatomy In Emotion: A Meta-analysis Of Findings From Neuroimaging
• When Your Gain Is My Pain And Your Pain Is My Gain: Neural Correlates Of Envy And Schadenfreude

Cognition

• Integration Of Emotion And Cognition In The Lateral Prefrontal Cortex
• Prefrontal Cortex And Flexible Cognitive Control: Rules Without Symbols
• Telling More Than We Can Know: Verbal Reports On Mental Processes

Decision-Making

• Decision Making, The P3, And The Locus Coeruleus-norepinephrine System
• Dissociable Intrinsic Connectivity Networks For Salience Processing And Executive Control
• The Neural Basis Of Economic Decision-making In The Ultimatum Game

Resilience and Coping

• A Hot/Cool-system Analysis Of Delay Of Gratification: Dynamics Of Willpower
• Antecedent-and Response-focused Emotion Regulation: Divergent Consequences For Experience, Expression, And Physiology
• Emotion Regulation In Everyday Life
• Emotion-related Self-regulation And Its Relation To Children’s Maladjustment
• Having A Word With Yourself: Neural Correlates Of Self-criticism And Self-reassurance
• Loss, Trauma, And Human Resilience
• Neural Correlates Of Evaluation Associated With Promotion And Prevention Regulatory Focus
• Protective And Damaging Effects Of Stress Mediators: Central Role Of The Brain
• Risk And Reward Are Processed Differently In Decisions Made Under Stress
• Self-control And Aggression
• Societal Vs. Individual Risk Of Death In The United Kingdom
• Stress Reduction Correlates With Structural Changes In The Amygdala

Gender

• The Gender Similarities Hypothesis

Communication

• Is Communication A Skill? Communication Behaviors And Being In Relationships

Relationships

• Altruistic Helping In Human Infants And Young Chimpanzees
• Biology, Politics, And The Emerging Science Of Human Nature
• The Cognitive Niche: Coevolution Of Intelligence, Sociality, And Language
• Cooperative Behavior Cascades In Human Social Networks
• Cortical Mechanisms Of Human Imitation
• Dopamine And Oxytocin Interactions Underlying Behaviors: Potential Contributions To Behavioral Disorders
• Do You Feel My Pain? Racial Group Membership Modulates Empathic Neural Responses
• Effects Of Intranasal Oxytocin On ‘compassion Focused Imagery
• Emotions Promote Social Interaction By Synchronizing Brain Activity Across Individuals
• Empathy And Consciousness
• Empathy: Its Ultimate And Proximate Bases
• Genes And Social Behavior
• Group Competition, Reproductive Leveling, And The Evolution Of Human Altruism
• Loving-kindness And Compassion Meditation: Potential For Psychological Interventions
• Neural Correlates Of Trust
• A Nonsimultaneous, Extended, Altruistic-donor Chain
• Nonverbal Behavior And The Vertical Dimension Of Social Relations: A Meta-analysis
• Open Hearts Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Loving-kindness Meditation, Build Consequential Personal Resources
• Orienting In A Defensive World: Mammalian Modifications Of Our Evolutionary Heritage. A Polyvagal Theory
• Oxytocin, Vasopressin, And The Neurogenetics Of Sociality
• Oxytocin And The Neural Mechanisms Regulating Social Cognition And Affiliative Behavior
• The Power Of Mindful Empathy To Heal Toxic Shame
• Relationships As Regulators: A Psychobiologic Perspective On Bereavement
• Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, Correlates, & Interventions
• The Selfish Nature Of Generosity: Harassment And Food Sharing In Primates
• Sex-linked Neuroanatomical Basis Of Human Altruistic Cooperativeness
• Social Groups That Elicit Disgust Are Differentially Processed In mPFC
• Social Isolation Kills, But How And Why?
• Social Transmission Of Face Preferences Among Humans
• Speaker–listener Neural Coupling Underlies Successful Communication
• Viewing Pictures Of A Romantic Partner Reduces Experimental Pain: Involvement Of Neural Reward Systems
• Winners Don’t Punish

Self

• Is Self Special? A Critical Review of Evidence from Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Philosophical Conceptions of the Self: Implications for Cognitive Science
• What Is Self-Specific? Theoretical Investigation and Critical Review of
• Neuroimaging Results

Morality

• An fMRI Investigation Of Emotional Engagement In Moral Judgment
• The Neural Basis Of Human Social Values: Evidence From Functional MRI
• Neural Correlates Of Human Virtue Judgment
• Neural Responses To Taxation And Voluntary Giving Reveal Motives For Charitable Donations
• Red Brain, Blue Brain: Evaluative Processes Differ In Democrats And Republicans

Depression

• Amygdala Volume in Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies
• Phenylethylamine, A Possible Link to the Antidepressant Effects of Exercise?

Drugs

• Alcohol Attributable Burden of Incidence of Cancer in Eight European Countries Based on Results from Prospective Cohort Study
• Drug Abuse: Hedonic Homeostatic Dysregulation
• The Incentive Sensitization Theory of Addiction: Some Current Issues
• The Neurobiology of Addiction an Overview
• Neurobiology of Nicotine Addiction: Implications for Smoking Cessation Treatment
• Neurobiology of Nicotine Dependence
• Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs

Neurotheology

• The Origin and Evolution of Religious Prosociality

Evolution

• Primates, Monks and the Mind
• Tool-Use Training in a Species of Rodent: The Emergence of an Optimal Motor Strategy and Functional Understanding

Non-Human Animals

• The Bonobo Genome Compared with the Chimpanzee and Human Genomes
• Cetaceans Have Complex Brains for Complex Cognition

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Tomeka Jacobs is a PhD student in Practical Theology: Education and Formation at Claremont School of Theology. Her research interests include: Black Mysticism, Neuroscience, Contemplative Practices, and Critical Race Feminisms. She believes they hold transformative possibilities for self and society and it is her hope as an emerging scholar that her work will speak to and enliven those on the front lines of social justice movements.

She holds a Master of Divinity from Lexington Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts, in Chemistry, from the University of Louisville. As a scientist and theologian she is naturally interested in “ways the brain changes for the better through happiness, love and wisdom,” a natural flow from all of her interests.