What you
should know
about the
“CEO” of
your brain
The “CEO” of your brain
The all-important prefrontal cortex—or “CEO”—of the brain is the large area that is located behind the forehead. The prefrontal cortex regulates the brain’s higher, rational, executive functions, including the ability to effectively judge, plan, understand, and decide—as well ethical thinking and behavior, and sense of self.
How stress damages the brain
Stress, pressure, fatigue, poor diet, alcohol, and drugs damage neural communications between the brain’s prefrontal cortex and the rest of the brain. That is why an individual under prolonged stress has a tendency to be more negative, to respond to daily demands without thinking—and make impulsive, reactive, shortsighted decisions.
The Transcendental Meditation technique
promotes total brain functioning
The Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique provides the experience of “restful alertness,” which reduces stress and strengthens communication between the brain’s prefrontal cortex and different areas of the brain. This is why individuals practicing the TM technique naturally display stronger executive functions, with more purposeful thinking and farsighted decision-making.
Research on the Transcendental Meditation program
The National Institutes of Health has provided over $24 million to study the beneficial effects of the Transcendental Meditation program for brain functioning and heart health, including the prevention and treatment of heart disease, hypertension, and stroke. In addition, hundreds of other studies on the effects of the TM program for mind, health, behavior, and society have been conducted at over 250 independent universities and research institutions, and published in such peer-reviewed scientific journals as Science, Scientific American, the American Journal of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association’s journal, Hypertension.