Meditation strengthens our “inner-Rocky-Balboa”. What is that? Well its your Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC); responsible for pain resistance, willpower, motivation, focus, clarity and emotional resilience. This powerful brain region ticks all the gritty, mentally toughness boxes.
Then, to increase grit, strengthen the ACC, right?
RIGHT! The University of Montreal researchers (Grant et al) compared the brains of 17 experienced meditators to 18 “normal” brains. What did they find?
The meditators’ brains had much “thicker” grey matter in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC), with the degree of thickness of grey matter linked to years of mediation experience.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20141301
In other words, meditation fortifies the brain’s “grit” center.
Harnessing the power of meditation to literally “grow” and strengthen the “grittiest” brain region of all takes the idea of a “growth mindset” to a whole new level. Neuroplasticity is a powerful thing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2944261/?_escaped_fragment_=po=77.2727