Welcome to this new episode of Science and Wisdom LIVE. Today we have with us neuroscientist Dr. Marieke van Vugt, who will introduce us to the practice of analytical meditation and describe her research collaboration with Tibetan monks.  She will discuss how debate, a form of analytical meditation practiced in Buddhist monasteries, can improve critical thinking, memory,  focus and emotional regulation.

Dr. Marieke van Vugt is an assistant professor at the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Engineering (ALICE) of the University of Groningen (Netherlands). The research in Dr. van Vugt’s lab focuses on how, when and why we mind-wander, and what the fundamental cognitive operations are that underlie meditation and mindfulness. Most recently, she started to investigate how analytical meditation practiced by Tibetan monks and nuns affects cognition and emotion. She addresses these questions using a combination of computational modeling, neuroscience, and experimental psychology tools. She very much enjoys projects were science, art (particularly classical ballet), and contemplation meet.