In Sights

Is it possible to scientifically measure emotions such as love, forgiveness, and compassion? A new study hopes to do so, and to eventually answer a related question about whether these abilities can be expanded through practice. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) are using sensors to measure and quantify brain activity related to human emotions. Wearing a 128-channel geodesic sensor net, Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard sits in a soundproof room before participating in an electroencephalography (EEG) test. Ricard is a participant in this research study led by Richard Davidson that monitors a subject's brain waves during various forms of meditation, including compassion meditation.