French doctor Matthieu Ricard is a molecular geneticist, a Buddhist monk and a confidant of the Dalai Lama's.Neuroscientist Richard Davidson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, monitored his brain activity four years ago, during a study about the effects on meditation on the human brain, and recorded unprecedented results.
Ricard’s gamma waves levels, which are linked to memory, consciousness and attention, went through the roof, SCMP informs. His brain's left prefrontal cortex displayed intense activity, an odd capacity that gives him an inclination towards happiness.
Ricard is a vocal advocate of meditation, which is what brought on changes in how his brain perceives the world.
"It's a wonderful area of research because it shows that meditation is not just blissing out under a mango tree, but it completely changes your brain and therefore changes what you are," he said.
The French doctor turned his life around as he started traveling to India, in 1972, where he discovered the power of meditation. He eventually settled there to study Buddhism and is now a world renowned scholar, writing about the benefits brought on by the Buddhist lifestyle.