Mind, mindfulness, and the social brain: Psychobiological understandings and implications

Sociality in primates, including humans, arises from the social brain—a complex relationship between brain size, neural network richness and selectivity, and behavioral complexities from bonded relationships. Neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience show that more extensive neural networks produce more powerful social experiences. Yoga and meditation, ancient and inexpensive practices with broad health benefits, induce neuroplasticity through multiple mechanisms in a dynamic brain model that has replaced the static view. Over the last two decades, scientific advances demonstrate positive effects of yoga and meditation on physical and emotional health, including functional and permanent structural brain changes. This chapter synthesizes psychobiological concomitants and socioclinical implications across positive psychology, spirituality, neuroimaging, neurophysiology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimmunoendocrinology to foster multidisciplinary collaborations for integrated management of social brain deficits.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Sociality in primates is determined by the social brain and is the outcome of an intricate and multi-dimensional relationship between the brain size, the richness as well as the selectivity of the neural networks and the behavioral complexities emanating from the bonded relationships that underpin the social coalitions. Accumulating data from the neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience research reveal that the more intricate and extensive are these neural networks, the more powerful is the social experiences. Yoga and meditation practices are ancient and relatively inexpensive yet quite rich experiences with far-reaching health benefits. Their powerful effects are beginning to be understood in terms of their effects on neuroplasticity which is now known to occur in a wide variety of neural circuits with many different simultaneous mechanisms that involves the immensely active neurodynamic model of human brain which has by and large replaced the old static model and has been the major focus of recent research. In the last two decades or so, the major scientific advances have shown positive effects of Yoga and meditation on physical and emotional health including not only functional changes in brain hemodynamic or metabolism, etc. but also, permanent changes in brain structures as well. Embarking upon the psychobiological aspects of the social brain, of the group mind and that of Yoga and meditation, in this chapter we provide a synthesis of their psychobiological concomitants as well as socioclinical implications, both potential and factual, from a diverse array of subspecialties, for example, positive psychology, spirituality, neuroimaging and neurophysiology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimmunoendocrinology, etc. The purpose of doing so is to provide a synthesis for ensuing richer and multidisciplinary collaborations to understand this fascinating topic which may eventually lead to integrated management of the various maladies of the social brain deficits.