What kind of attention do you have and how is it related to health? The brain researcher developing a new index
Prof. Nava Levit-Binnun, director of the Sagol Center for Brain and Consciousness at Reichman University, has received a grant of 1.25 million shekels to develop an index examining the connection between attention quality and mental health. In an interview, she explains how attention is measured using EEG and criticizes the Western perception of mindfulness.
Prof. Nava Levit-Binnun, director of the Sagol Center for Brain and Consciousness at Reichman University, has received a grant of 1.25 million shekels from the Israel Science Foundation to develop a new index examining the connection between attention quality and mental health. In an interview with Globes, she explains how attention can be measured through brain synchronization at different frequencies (EEG), and shows an inverse correlation between attentional flexibility and depression, anxiety, and emotional regulation difficulties. The current study will examine the findings in a larger and more diverse sample while manipulating cognitive load and mental state. Levit-Binnun criticizes the Western perception of mindfulness as merely emptying the mind of thoughts, and emphasizes Buddhist practices of 'wise attention' that involve the proactive shifting of attention between body areas and thoughts.