Lily Kiamanesh, Class of 2024
Mindfulness meditation, the practice of being aware of the present through attention to bodily sensations and thoughts, is a mental exercise that is thousands of years old. However, what is an ancient practice in India is now being deemed the “new caffeine” in Silicon Valley. Meditation has experienced a boom in western culture in recent years as more people discover the mind-altering and life-changing effects it can produce. The simple practice of observing the current moment has been proven to help psychological conditions like anxiety and depression, increase focus and productivity, and heighten feelings of gratitude, possibly making it just what you have been looking to add to your daily routine.
Research has shown that taking the time to practice mindfulness meditation can improve mental health conditions. A 2010 study published in a journal of the American Psychological Association (APA) compared functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of 20 subjects after eight weeks of mindfulness training versus a control group of 16 subjects. The results showed that the practice can improve symptoms of depression and decrease negative reactivity to sad stimuli. The experimental group devoted two hours a week to mindfulness through various forms of meditation such as lying, sitting, walking, eating, and yoga. Before and after the trial period, depression was evaluated using The Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition (BDI-II), a self-report inventory that measures the severity of depression. Following the training, the experimental group showed substantial reductions in depression on the BDI-II scale as compared to the control group. Additionally, the researchers showed both groups sad films and performed fMRI to compare their neural reactivity. After viewing them, the meditators’ fMRI displayed decreased neural reactivity in regions of the brain associated with sadness, such as the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, showing a correlation between mindfulness meditation and better management of negative emotions.
Similarly, mindfulness meditation can help to decrease feelings of stress and anxiety. A 2007 study showed that a total of just five days of meditation practice for 40 minutes a day can decrease cortisol levels when encountering mental stress. After an experimental group participated in meditation that focused on general awareness of the body, they and a control group were prompted with mental arithmetic problems to provoke a stress response. The researchers found that although both groups showed an increase in cortisol, indicating that the task was indeed stressful, the experimental group had a significantly lower cortisol response to the mental stress than the control group did, showing the possible power of meditation to improve stress levels when facing everyday challenges.
Furthermore, meditation may bring the benefit of increased attention, focus, and productivity. Recent research published in an APA journal showed that long-time meditators stay focused for longer and do not experience as many incidents of mind-wandering when reading as compared to non-meditators. Similarly, in a study conducted in 2018, an experimental group of novices took part in a brief 10 minute meditation session whereas a control group did not, and both groups participated in attention-based tasks. The results showed that those who had meditated prior were more accurate in their responses than those who did not, displaying improved executive attentional control, or the ability to choose what to focus on and what to ignore. Even a short practice in mindfulness meditation may have the ability to keep the mind focused, quick, and accurate.
Meditation can also provide increased gratitude and appreciation for life to those who practice. In a 2017 study, health care professionals participated in three sessions of one hour of meditation with a focus on gratitude, kindness, and compassion. Before and after sessions, the participants completed a gratitude questionnaire, the World Health Organization Well-Being index, Neff’s Self-Compassion Scale, and the Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Scale. These surveys measure emotional health, kindness toward one’s own shortcomings, and self-perception of professional ability. Even after only a total of three hours of meditation training, the researchers found significant improvements in gratitude, well-being, overall self-compassion and within each subcategory of self-compassion (self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and overidentification), and self-confidence.
With benefits like these, you may find that meditation seems like a solution to many problems, but you are not sure how to incorporate it into your daily routine. To begin, you should find a quiet space where you can be alone. Sit comfortably either on a chair, a cushion, or the floor, and maintain a straight posture. Then, close your eyes and focus on the feeling of your breath flowing as well as any other bodily sensations. Continue for 10 minutes and increase this time limit asyou gain more experience. Mindfulness meditation is simple, but it is a challenge which requires time and practice.
Improved mental health, heightened focus, and increased gratitude are just some of the perks you may find that meditation provides. No matter the reason why you want to meditate, what is of true importance is that you actually meditate. Committing to the practice is the only way to see any of the many benefits in your life. It is essential to understand that meditation is called a practice because it is one: it will never be perfect or completed. Mindfulness is a state of being toward which you need to work every day, little by little, to see results in your life. And after you have put your time in, you may find that it is just what you have been looking for.
Bibliography
Farb, Norman A. S., et al. “Minding One’s Emotions: Mindfulness Training Alters the Neural Expression of Sadness.” Emotion, vol. 10, no. 1, 2010, pp. 25–33. Crossref, doi:10.1037/a0017151.
Tang, Y. Y., et al. “Short-Term Meditation Training Improves Attention and Self-Regulation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 104, no. 43, 2007, pp. 17152–56. Crossref, doi:10.1073/pnas.0707678104.
Zanesco, Anthony P., et al. “Meditation Training Influences Mind Wandering and Mindless Reading.” Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, pp. 12–33. Crossref, doi:10.1037/cns0000082.
Norris, Catherine J., et al. “Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Attention in Novices: Evidence From ERPs and Moderation by Neuroticism.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 12, 2018. Crossref, doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00315.
Rao, Nisha, and Kathi J. Kemper. “Online Training in Specific Meditation Practices Improves Gratitude, Well-Being, Self-Compassion, and Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Among Health Professionals.” Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, vol. 22, no. 2, 2016, pp. 237–41. Crossref, doi:10.1177/2156587216642102.
Mineo, Liz. “Less Stress, Clearer Thoughts with Mindfulness Meditation.” Harvard Gazette, 17 Apr. 2018, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/less-stress-clearer-thoughts-with-mindfulness-m editation.
Research has shown that taking the time to practice mindfulness meditation can improve mental health conditions. A 2010 study published in a journal of the American Psychological Association (APA) compared functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of 20 subjects after eight weeks of mindfulness training versus a control group of 16 subjects. The results showed that the practice can improve symptoms of depression and decrease negative reactivity to sad stimuli. The experimental group devoted two hours a week to mindfulness through various forms of meditation such as lying, sitting, walking, eating, and yoga. Before and after the trial period, depression was evaluated using The Beck Depression Inventory–Second Edition (BDI-II), a self-report inventory that measures the severity of depression. Following the training, the experimental group showed substantial reductions in depression on the BDI-II scale as compared to the control group. Additionally, the researchers showed both groups sad films and performed fMRI to compare their neural reactivity. After viewing them, the meditators’ fMRI displayed decreased neural reactivity in regions of the brain associated with sadness, such as the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, showing a correlation between mindfulness meditation and better management of negative emotions.
Similarly, mindfulness meditation can help to decrease feelings of stress and anxiety. A 2007 study showed that a total of just five days of meditation practice for 40 minutes a day can decrease cortisol levels when encountering mental stress. After an experimental group participated in meditation that focused on general awareness of the body, they and a control group were prompted with mental arithmetic problems to provoke a stress response. The researchers found that although both groups showed an increase in cortisol, indicating that the task was indeed stressful, the experimental group had a significantly lower cortisol response to the mental stress than the control group did, showing the possible power of meditation to improve stress levels when facing everyday challenges.
Furthermore, meditation may bring the benefit of increased attention, focus, and productivity. Recent research published in an APA journal showed that long-time meditators stay focused for longer and do not experience as many incidents of mind-wandering when reading as compared to non-meditators. Similarly, in a study conducted in 2018, an experimental group of novices took part in a brief 10 minute meditation session whereas a control group did not, and both groups participated in attention-based tasks. The results showed that those who had meditated prior were more accurate in their responses than those who did not, displaying improved executive attentional control, or the ability to choose what to focus on and what to ignore. Even a short practice in mindfulness meditation may have the ability to keep the mind focused, quick, and accurate.
Meditation can also provide increased gratitude and appreciation for life to those who practice. In a 2017 study, health care professionals participated in three sessions of one hour of meditation with a focus on gratitude, kindness, and compassion. Before and after sessions, the participants completed a gratitude questionnaire, the World Health Organization Well-Being index, Neff’s Self-Compassion Scale, and the Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Scale. These surveys measure emotional health, kindness toward one’s own shortcomings, and self-perception of professional ability. Even after only a total of three hours of meditation training, the researchers found significant improvements in gratitude, well-being, overall self-compassion and within each subcategory of self-compassion (self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and overidentification), and self-confidence.
With benefits like these, you may find that meditation seems like a solution to many problems, but you are not sure how to incorporate it into your daily routine. To begin, you should find a quiet space where you can be alone. Sit comfortably either on a chair, a cushion, or the floor, and maintain a straight posture. Then, close your eyes and focus on the feeling of your breath flowing as well as any other bodily sensations. Continue for 10 minutes and increase this time limit asyou gain more experience. Mindfulness meditation is simple, but it is a challenge which requires time and practice.
Improved mental health, heightened focus, and increased gratitude are just some of the perks you may find that meditation provides. No matter the reason why you want to meditate, what is of true importance is that you actually meditate. Committing to the practice is the only way to see any of the many benefits in your life. It is essential to understand that meditation is called a practice because it is one: it will never be perfect or completed. Mindfulness is a state of being toward which you need to work every day, little by little, to see results in your life. And after you have put your time in, you may find that it is just what you have been looking for.
Bibliography
Farb, Norman A. S., et al. “Minding One’s Emotions: Mindfulness Training Alters the Neural Expression of Sadness.” Emotion, vol. 10, no. 1, 2010, pp. 25–33. Crossref, doi:10.1037/a0017151.
Tang, Y. Y., et al. “Short-Term Meditation Training Improves Attention and Self-Regulation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 104, no. 43, 2007, pp. 17152–56. Crossref, doi:10.1073/pnas.0707678104.
Zanesco, Anthony P., et al. “Meditation Training Influences Mind Wandering and Mindless Reading.” Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, pp. 12–33. Crossref, doi:10.1037/cns0000082.
Norris, Catherine J., et al. “Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Attention in Novices: Evidence From ERPs and Moderation by Neuroticism.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 12, 2018. Crossref, doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00315.
Rao, Nisha, and Kathi J. Kemper. “Online Training in Specific Meditation Practices Improves Gratitude, Well-Being, Self-Compassion, and Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Among Health Professionals.” Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, vol. 22, no. 2, 2016, pp. 237–41. Crossref, doi:10.1177/2156587216642102.
Mineo, Liz. “Less Stress, Clearer Thoughts with Mindfulness Meditation.” Harvard Gazette, 17 Apr. 2018, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/less-stress-clearer-thoughts-with-mindfulness-m editation.
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