Into 'the science of thriving'

Richard Davidson has seen people change their minds.

Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, has used high-tech imaging tools to peer into the brains of Buddhist monks, electrodes trailing like spaghetti from their scalps, as they practice meditation. And he has seen their brains light up in areas related to empathy, attention, and mind-body interaction.

Davidson's conclusion: We can train our brains - and our selves - to be more attentive, more compassionate, and even happier. "The key point is that happiness and other positive characteristics are best regarded as skills," he says. "We can . . . engage in intentional efforts to cultivate positive habits of mind."

Davidson will share his newest research on meditation and neuroplasticity - the idea that the brain is constantly changing in response to experience and the environment - at the Second World Congress on Positive Psychology, a four-day gathering of about 1,200 psychologists, doctors, coaches, and others interested in "the science of thriving." The conference, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, begins Saturday and ends Tuesday afternoon.

Martin E.P. Seligman, a University of Pennsylvania professor of psychology, launched the positive psychology movement 13 years ago when he chided colleagues for spending too much time on what makes people miserable and not enough time finding out what makes them thrive.

Since then, positive psychology has found its way into health care, business, education, and the arts. Conference sessions reflect that sweep, dealing with issues from binge drinking to terrorism.

In Davidson's Tuesday morning plenary, "Change Your Brain by Transforming Your Mind," he'll discuss changes in the brain and other biological functions seen in people who have been taught to meditate. One study, with employees of a high-tech firm in Madison, Wis., involved giving one group an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation. Both that group and a control group got flu shots after eight weeks; those who had been meditating produced more antibodies, suggesting that meditation affects not only the brain, but the immune system as well.

Other talks will examine how positive psychology is shaping programs and policies in the military, in corporate board rooms and even in nations. British Prime Minister David Cameron announced last fall that his government would begin to measure national well-being.