system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does meditation physically alter the brain's structure?

There are several scienctists that claim meditation physically alter the brain's structure.

Meditation is about focusing on the breath and letting thoughts come and og - not about blocking them out. So why do this activity - sitting down and focusing on the breath - alter the brain?

They say we get more grey matter. What is the purpose of this grey matter? Are there other activites that produce more grey matter?
gpt
This is one of those things that's true but completely overblown.

Look, *everything* physically changes the brain's structure. Reading this very sentence has altered your brain's structure. That's how our brain works. If our brain couldn't change, we'd never *experience* anything, because synaptic connections is how the brain does stuff. 

Your brain also creates new brain cells *every single day of your life*. 

Our brain is not static. It's constantly changing. 

Now, meditation is still a very beneficial practice. It helps you focus, which is a very, very useful skill. But it ain't magic!