UW-Madison professor Richard Davidson came to this intriguing conclusion and others after years of study, including evaluating the effects of meditation on the brains of Tibetan monks.

And now Time magazine, in the current issue, is honoring the Madison neuroscientist as one of the 100 most influential people of 2006.

In nominating Davidson, alternative medicine expert Andrew Weil said Davidson's studies could lead to ways of countering anxiety disorders, memory loss and cognitive decline.

Davidson's decades-long study of the connections between the brain, body and emotions highlights the exciting and life-enhancing research going on at UW-Madison. A professor of psychology and psychiatry, Davidson runs the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior.

Such research yet again demonstrates the value of the state's flagship university and its researchers not just to students and Wisconsin citizens, but to humanity.

Findings often lead to therapeutic applications, such as patented medicines, to fight disease. They also draw money and talent to the university and the area's economy.

Davidson's pioneering research deserves celebration, and Time's recognition does that in a big way for him and for the university and state.