LessWrong (30+ Karma) “Critical Meditation Theory” by lsusr
Dec 6, 2025
Explore the fascinating relationship between meditation and brain dynamics, where criticality plays a pivotal role. Delve into how focused attention leads to stability, while creativity and psychedelics push the brain into chaos. Discover the neurological evidence suggesting our brains operate in a state of near-criticality. Examine how different meditation styles align with these dynamics, linking ego dissolution to increased criticality. Conclude with insights on meditation’s transformative effects on brain behavior.
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Criticality Explains Brain Dynamics
- Criticality locates a system between ordered and disordered dynamics with unique computational properties.
- Systems at criticality maximize complexity and propagate small signals across time scales.
Brain States Map To Criticality Levels
- EEG evidence suggests the human brain operates near criticality, especially in resting-state networks.
- Focused attention drives the brain subcritical, while psychedelics and strong emotion drive it supercritical.
Why Different Tasks Need Different Dynamics
- Subcritical dynamics stabilize activity for careful attention, while supercritical dynamics open many possibilities for creativity.
- Near-critical dynamics best transmit fine sensory signals across time scales for quiet alertness.