Two studies examined whether meditation training increases altruistic behavior. In one, 39 Boston-area adults were assigned to eight weeks of meditation classes or a waiting list. Afterwards, 50% of meditators offered their seat to a person on crutches, compared with 16% of nonmeditators. In another study, participants completed two weeks of compassion meditation or reappraisal training. Those trained in compassion meditation were significantly more likely to redistribute wealth in an online game. Brain scans linked this altruistic behavior to increased activation in regions involved in empathy and emotion regulation, including the inferior parietal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens.
This paper reviews theories of the mind—dualism, identity theory, and functionalism—and applies them to debates about disorders of consciousness, particularly in vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) patients. The author discusses the Terri Schiavo case to illustrate ethical and diagnostic controversies. The core focuses on Adrian Owen's 2006 fMRI study of a 23-year-old VS patient who showed brain activation during mental imagery tasks (imagining playing tennis or walking through a house) indistinguishable from healthy individuals, suggesting possible residual awareness. The author presents criticisms from Greenberg and Nachev and Husain, along with Owen's responses, concluding that evidence for consciousness in some VS patients is compelling but not conclusive.