Meditation has been around for a very long time—meditative practices appear in many early religious texts essential to Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism—but despite its spiritual origins, research suggests that the important role meditation plays in increasing happiness is something everyone can agree on. No matter where you’re at in life, meditation can teach you how to slow down in a loud and busy world.

What’s so great about meditating? Making meditation a permanent fixture in your life can lighten your stress load, lower your blood pressure, boost your energy levels, reduce pain, and help you feel more rested. Evidence also suggests that meditating regularly increases your base-level of happiness in the long-term—something even winning the lottery can’t do. The list of positive changes affected by quieting your mind continues to grow as scientists and medical professionals increasingly turn their attention to meditative techniques.

How is meditation effective in increasing happiness?

1. Meditation reduces the noise in your mind.

Between your home life, social life, the projects you’re juggling at work, and what’s for dinner, your mind can become overcrowded. When your mind is perpetually full to the brim, depression and anxiety begin knocking on your door. Your mind is sort of like a sailboat—if too many people climb on board, it becomes difficult for the captain to focus on navigating the waters without dipping under.

When you meditate, you tune out the mental chatter and tune in to the present. By noticing your breathing, paying attention to your body, and putting your thoughts on hold, you’re giving yourself the mental rest you need to feel at peace.

2. Meditation minimizes the past and future.

When you’re depressed or anxious, the past and future have a strong hold on how you live your life now. Maybe you’re unhappy because you’re worried the pain from a past relationship is waiting for you in the next one; maybe worries about how others will perceive you prevents you from going out.

Letting go of negative thoughts is an important part of increasing happiness. Maybe you want to let go but don’t know how. Meditating helps. If you meditate regularly, you take the power away from pain and stress and can start to see real changes in what seems important in your life.

3. Meditation helps you discover your feelings.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s really going through your mind when you’re constantly on-the-go. Maybe there’s a nagging feeling that follows you throughout your day; if you don’t take the time to unravel the knots in your mind, they can take root and grow out of control.

Practicing mindfulness often means taking stock of your own feelings and perceptions. The results might surprise you, and they might just set you free from negative emotions. Maybe you have a shadowy, bad feeling in the back of your mind. Whether it’s jealousy, anger, sadness, or regret, taking the time to give that feeling a name is a huge step toward eradicating it. If you’re unhappy in a relationship or at work and don’t know why, mindfulness and meditation can lend you clarity to see what changes you can make to be happier where you are.

How can you start increasing happiness with meditation?

There’s no one way to meditate. You can begin by trying out different meditative exercises and finding what feels best for you. Maybe it’s yoga, maybe it’s finding a quiet place outdoors, maybe it’s simply lying on your bed and clearing your mind of thoughts—but whatever your preferred technique, you’ll likely begin seeing positive changes in how you see yourself, your life, and the people with whom you spend your time.

Meditating on the present moment to feel happier makes sense—joy is almost always a spontaneous emotion. The work of increasing happiness is slowing yourself down enough to let joy in.