Mindfulness enhances academic performance of students

A recent study has revealed that being aware in the present moment enhances the academic performance and mental health of the students.

The study was published in the journal 'Behavioral Neuroscience 2019'.

"If you're focused on the teacher in front of you, or the homework in front of you, that should be good for learning," says John Gabrieli, the Grover M. Hermann Professor in Health Sciences and Technology, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences.

The researchers also showed, for the first time, that mindfulness training can alter brain activity in students. Sixth-graders who received mindfulness training not only reported feeling less stressed, but their brain scans revealed reduced activation of the amygdala, a brain region that processes fear and other emotions when they viewed images of fearful faces.

The team studied about 100 sixth-graders. Half of the students received mindfulness training every day for eight weeks, while the other half took a coding class.

The mindfulness exercises were designed to encourage students to pay attention to their breath and to focus on the present moment rather than thoughts of the past or the future.

Students who received the mindfulness training reported that their stress levels went down after the training, while the students in the control group did not. Students in the mindfulness training group also reported fewer negative feelings, such as sadness or anger, after the training.

"Mindfulness is like going to the gym. If you go for a month, that's good, but if you stop going, the effects won't last," he says. "It's a form of mental exercise that needs to be sustained," said Gabrieli.