Muse Founder Reveals How Brain Technology Is Creating A New Era Of Mental Fitness (Ariel Garten)
Nuero-feedback is just getting started
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“When you do a heart-focused meditation, when you're sending compassion to the world, you know what that feels like. You know what you feel like afterwards. You know the level of generosity and the sense of abundance and expansiveness that you have. And to then go and say, ‘what's the EEG or the EKG signature of that’ is just trying to prove something that you are already aware exists.” (12:30 in this cast)
Ariel Garten is a neuroscientist, psychotherapist, entrepreneur, co-founder and Chief Evangelist at Muse, the pioneering brain-sensing headband that's transforming how we approach mental fitness. As someone at the forefront of consumer neurotechnology since launching the first Muse device in 2014, Ariel is uniquely positioned to reveal how brain monitoring tools are revolutionizing our ability to train, measure, and improve our mental capabilities.
In our fascinating conversation, she shares her vision of a world where mental fitness becomes as quantifiable, accessible, and respected as physical fitness. This isn't just about meditation, but about creating a comprehensive approach to brain health and performance that's backed by science and accessible to everyone.
This episode is great for:
People who struggle with meditation and wonder if they're "doing it right"
Anyone interested in the scientific validation of different meditation practices
Tech enthusiasts curious about the frontier of brain monitoring technology
Individuals wanting to optimize their brain performance and mental fitness
Meditation practitioners curious about measuring their progress objectively
Those interested in the convergence of ancient wisdom and modern technology
Ideas that really stuck out to me:
Brain technology is making the invisible visible. For centuries, meditation has been a subjective internal experience with no way to objectively measure progress. Muse changes this by providing real-time audio feedback as your brainwaves fluctuate between focused attention and mind-wandering. As Ariel explains, "Muse gives you real-time feedback that lets you know when you're in focused attention on your breath and when your mind is wandering," finally solving the age-old question: "Am I doing this right?"
Mental fitness is becoming measurable and trackable like physical fitness. Just as we use scales, fitness trackers, and personal records to gauge physical progress, nuero-feedback provides objective data on your brain's performance.
Meditation and sleep serve different functions for the brain and aren't interchangeable. While meditation creates a restful state with clarity sleep (especially deep sleep) performs unique restorative functions that meditation can't replace.
AI and machine learning are revolutionizing our ability to understand brain data. Muse's sleep staging algorithm can stage sleep more effectively than an expert from a sleep lab. Increasingly research-grade analysis is becoming accessible to consumers.
Mental fitness is creating transfer effects to other areas of life. Research shows that regular meditation with neurofeedback leads to improvements beyond just better meditation skills. When you start a meditation practice, you get better at doing other things in your life. You improve your ability to make healthy choices because you become less impulsive. This creates a positive cascade effect across the five pillars of brain health.
What fascinated me most was realizing how brain technology is creating a new language for understanding our inner experiences. For centuries meditation has been described through metaphors and subjective accounts. Now we can see what happens in the brain during different states of consciousness.
The implications of this technology extend far beyond just better meditation. Monks in Dharmasala are conducting their own scientific inquiries using these tools. We're witnessing the birth of a new era where mental fitness becomes as quantifiable and trainable as physical fitness.
I believe we're at the beginning of a revolution in how we understand and train our minds. Just as the fitness industry transformed how we approach physical health over the past few decades, neurotechnology may do the same for mental wellness in the coming years.
I hope you enjoy this conversation!
- Scott
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Episode Transcript
Show Notes
00:00 - Introduction to Muse and Neurofeedback
02:57 - The Science Behind Meditation and EEG
05:57 - Exploring Different Meditation Styles
09:06 - The Role of Science in Meditation
12:04 - Advancements in Brain Monitoring Technology
14:47 - Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Explained
17:50 - The Future of Brain Training and Cognitive Enhancement
26:44 - The Transfer Effect of Meditation
31:27 - AI and Data Analysis in Neurofeedback
34:24 - The Future of Neurofeedback Technology
39:04 - Exploring Altered States of Consciousness
41:52 - Psychedelics and Meditation Research
46:14 - The Evolution of Personal Meditation Practices
49:48 - The Balance of Efficiency and Mindfulness
Wow, I think I need to review this a few more times regarding manifesting. My followers are always wondering how to stay in the state, and possibly this device could help us focus more.
We appear to have common goals though different approaches. www.behavbio.com.