Brain waves

Four major kinds of brain waves have been discovered. In terms of cycles per second, the delta waves (1 to 4 cycles) are slowest, followed by theta (4-8), alpha (8-13) and beta (13-26). Different wave types are correlated with different types of mental activity. Sharply focused attention on a mental activity leads to brain waves of all frequencies (desynchronized activity); non-focused attention leads to a predominance of alpha waves, whereas deep sleep involves low frequency, delta-activity. In meditation there is a predominance of rather slow alpha waves with unusually wide amplitude; although normally associated with the back of the head, in meditation alpha waves occur across the whole head and are synchronized with each other. They first build up on the left and then move to the right, indicating a transfer form active analytical to receptive synthetic; this is itself reduced. One researcher (William Condon) refers to six different brain wave frequencies, which include the highly active beta II (perhaps of to 40 cycles per second), and a second delta wave that may be the basic or background rhythm to human behaviour. Condon's work shows how the brain waves correlate to speech and behaviour and how individual waves may interlink and synchronize with other's individual and group waves.