Anderson Cooper travels to a remote mountaintop in Northern California to participate in a three day “mindfulness” retreat. He puts aside all his mobile devices and sits silently, meditating. Cooper isn’t alone in his quest for mindfulness. From coast to coast, people working at Google and in Congress are trying to achieve mental health with “mindfulness.” Congressman Tim Ryan believes “mindfulness can change America for the better.” Self-awareness scientists say practicing “mindfulness” is very healthy, but rarely achieved in today’s world of digital distractions.
After three days of intense meditation, Cooper visits Dr. Judson Brewer who places on Cooper’s head a red rubber cap which is lined with 128 electrodes that can pick up signals from the brain. The doctor then sits Cooper in front of a computer to see if the retreat affected his brain. You can watch the experiment on CBS’ 60 Minutes, Sunday, December 14 at 7pm.
