While it is widely known that natural health resources like Zen meditation offer many benefits, scientists from the University of Montreal recently discovered the reasons as to why Zen practitioners reap these benefits.

Through previous studies, the scientists have found that Zen meditators have the ability to reduce their pain sensitivity. In turn, individuals who suffer from chronic pain, including those with arthritis, cancer or back pain may especially benefit from Zen, according to the researchers.

A total of 13 Zen meditators and 13-non meditators were recruited to participate in the study. Each of the participants was administered a painful heat stimulus, and the investigators used MRI data to measure the perception of pain among all of the subjects.

Overall, the most experienced Zen meditators showed lower pain responses as well as reduced activity in specific areas of the brain that are responsible for emotion, memory and cognition. These individuals also experienced a decreased amount of communication between the part of the brain that senses pain and the prefrontal cortex.

Pierre Rainville, the study’s senior author, said that “the result suggest that Zen meditators may have a training-related ability,” and added that “such an ability could have widespread and profound implications for pain and emotion regulation and cognitive control.”