Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body

By: Daniel Goleman, Richard Davidson

Narrated by: Daniel Goleman

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Two New York Times best-selling authors unveil new research showing what meditation can really do for the brain. In the last 20 years, meditation and mindfulness have gone from being kind of cool to becoming an omnipresent Band-Aid for fixing everything from your weight to your relationship to your achievement level. Unveiling here the kind of cutting-edge research that has made them giants in their fields, Daniel Goleman and Richard J Davidson show us the truth about what meditation can really do for us, as well as exactly how to get the most out of it. Sweeping away common misconceptions and neuromythology to open listeners' eyes to the ways data has been distorted to sell mind-training methods, the authors demonstrate that beyond the pleasant states mental exercises can produce, the real payoffs are the lasting personality traits that can result. But short daily doses will not get us to the highest level of lasting positive change - even if we continue for years - without specific additions. More than sheer hours, we need smart practice, including crucial ingredients such as targeted feedback from a master teacher and a more spacious, less attached view of the self, all of which are missing in widespread versions of mind training. The authors also reveal the latest data from Davidson's own lab that point to a new methodology for developing a broader array of mind-training methods with larger implications for how we can derive the greatest benefits from the practice. Exciting, compelling, and grounded in new research, this is one of those rare books that has the power to change us at the deepest level.

©2017 Penguin Group (USA) LLC (P)2017 More Than Sound, LLC

Fascinating

Some of the most interesting research and anecdotes in the field of neuroscience today. Great book for the science minded meditator.

Great book! Scientific support for meditation.

the book of gives an exhaustive explanation of scientific research and methods and that part may tempt you to not listen to the rest of the audiobook, but it gives important insight into how meditation has been proven to be a benefit and how it can actually change your physical and mental traits. please listen to the whole audio and stick through the "boring" details.

Great summary of the research, but...

....but I'm not sure about a core premise -- that it's a question of states versus traits when it comes to understanding the benefits of meditation.

Practicing meditation and mindfulness seems more analogous to learning a foreign language or a musical instrument -- If you don't practice, you'll get rusty, but you also can pick it back up with relatively ease at any time. If there is in fact some kind of latent mental muscle memory when it comes to mindfulness, this book doesn't seem to account for it.

That said, the question of states vs traits was still useful in its own way, and I appreciated the review of the research. There are scientific claims about meditation everywhere, and this book seems genuinely invested in helping the reader sort out the good from the not so good.

Almost Over My Head

I'm a green leaf at mindful meditation, so some of this book had me struggling to keep up Especially, when it gets deep into the science (why I actually got the book). However, most of it was not too smart for me and has helped very much with my understanding of MM and helped make goals toward improving in my practice. I think this book will be a bigger boon when I'm at a more intermediate stage.

consumer friendly science .

can be a little dry at times, but it's a great summary on the scientific literature of meditation

changing changing the world one mind at a time.

I encourage all meditative contemplative and mindful beings to read this incredible Journal of scientific evidence based research. This specific compendium is the answer we've all been waiting for

An excellent sequel..well worth the listen

I appreciate all of Daniel Goleman's work
and he tells a lot of background stories which enrich the material immensely
I highly recommend this one

great science

Good book, I like the stories at times I feel the science got a little boring but I hung in there. over all a good book.

Enjoyable listening

Very deep insights into mind body consciousness, and about how important is meditation in our daily lives.

Enlightening!

This book did a fantastic job of laying out the science behind and within the field. It was organized, cohesive, and approachable, even for a novice in both science and meditation. The narrator gave a great performance as well. No reason not to listen!