Researchers compared neural structures and function of the brains within a group of participants. Only one facet (the describing facet) correlated with greater gray matter volume. The higher people scored on the describing facet, the higher their gray matter volume in a region that spanned the right amygdala and in the right anterior IC. 

University of Toledo

The greater amount of grey matter within the right amygdala, the lesser activity and thus the greater cognitive control of stressful/fearful emotional responses. This is likely because the amygdala is inhibited by the Prefrontal Cortex at rest. Thus the result is greater top-down control of the emotions.

Mindfully Trained Right Amygdala

Wheeler, M., Arnkoff, D., & Glass, C. (2017). The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Alters the Brain and Facilitates Emotion Regulation. Mindfulness, 8(6), 1471-1487.

How Mindfulness Alters the Brain and Facilitates Emotion Regulation

Top-down processing is a perceptual process where the recognition of stimuli is guided by an individual's pre-existing knowledge, experiences, and expectations. This cognitive approach is typically goal-directed, slow, deliberate, and effortful, operating under conscious control to interpret incoming sensory information.

Top-Down Processing

- Anterior Cingulate Cortex
- Insular Cortex
- Prefrontal Cortex
- Amygdala

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