If you spend any time learning about health and wellness or searching for ways to destress, then you’ve probably found that meditation frequently comes up as a solution for any number of ailments. When you’re constantly on the go or find yourself barely fitting in all of your usual activities, the thought of carving out more time in your day to sit and do nothing can seem nonsensical. But the thing is that meditation isn’t actually doing nothing. Study after study shows that although your body may not be in motion, your brain is doing something. Check out some of the latest findings about all the cool ways that meditation affects your brain:

Your brain ages better. A study at UCLA found that the longer people meditated, the better preserved their gray matter was — across all regions — when compared with people that didn’t meditate. It’s not a substitute for actually being younger, but it helps.

Johns-Hopkins researchers found that meditating may actually be as effective as antidepressants at reducing signs of depression, anxiety, and pain. The actual numbers for meditation aren’t that impressive, but neither are the numbers for medications. And meditation doesn’t have side effects, which is a plus.

There are different kinds of meditation, and each one has different effects on the brain. Many forms of meditation focus on the breath only and help to focus energy by focusing on breathing. But mindfulness meditation encourages mindfulness as well — not just on the breath. Over a period of a couple months, people that practice specific mindfulness meditation techniques show a distinct change in the brain — which can also be shown in lifestyle changes and habits, leading to an improved quality of life.

What surprises even experts is that meditation affects many different parts of the brain, not just those associated with emotions. It seems that a little meditation can go a long way in overall health benefits and the mind/body connection, whether you are looking to break a habit, or just chill out.

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