Why Meditation Actually Works — From a Neuroscience Perspective (Not from a Guru in Harem Pants)

How I Tried to Meditate and Didn’t Astral Project

Meditation sounds like something for:

• enlightened people with ASMR voices

• apps with paid subscriptions

• your friend who “reached a new level of awareness and deleted Instagram”

Of course, I didn’t believe it.
But then I found studies. Graphs. Brain scans. Words like “hippocampus,” “prefrontal cortex,” and “happiness hormones.”
And that’s when it got interesting.

What actually happens in your brain when you sit and “do nothing”:

🧠 1. The Prefrontal Cortex Says: “Thank You!”

This is the area responsible for decision-making, focus, and mindfulness.
With regular meditation, it grows.
Yes, it actually grows. Not a joke. The brain gets buff, but without the protein.

🧘‍♂️ 2. Amygdala Shrinks — Anxiety Gets Quieter

The amygdala is your inner drama queen. It screams:
— “We’re all going to die! Nobody loves you! Everything is urgent!”

Meditation calms it down. Anxiety drops.
You’re still broke, but you think about it more calmly.

🧪 3. Cortisol: Down. Serotonin: Up

Cortisol is the stress hormone. You have it right now, this very second.
Serotonin is the hormone of balance. You have it — well, on special occasions.

10 minutes of breathing — and there’s already a biochemical shift. Like a glass of wine, but without the alcohol or shame.

📶 4. Default Mode Network — Goes Silent

This is the system responsible for your inner monologue.
The one that yells:
— “What if I’d answered differently back then?..”

During meditation, it takes a break.
You stop being yourself. Finally.

So What Does It Look Like in Practice?

You sit. With your eyes closed.
Staring into the darkness of your mind. Thinking nothing is happening.
But inside — a festival of molecules, a neural network reboot, and a major mental clean-up.

What I Felt After 7 Days:

• Less urge to curse in traffic

• Started sleeping not like a rock, but like a tired Buddha

• Realized that thoughts aren’t me — they’re just thoughts

Why Does This Work?

• Because your brain needs to switch modes.

• You weren’t made to be online 24/7.

• You’re not a neural network. You’re human. With a pulse, breathing, and overload.

• Meditation is Ctrl+Alt+Del, but gentle and without rebooting Windows.

No Lotus Needed, Just Rhythm

Meditation isn’t a pose, or music, or chakras.
It’s the habit of stopping. Even for 2 minutes.
Breathe. Observe. Don’t comment.

You won’t become a saint. But you can become quieter.
And in this life, that’s already a superpower.