Here are seven of the most significant and positive benefits of mindfulness.
#1 – Mindfulness of thoughts and emotions is a key to wellbeing
Self-regulation can be seen as paradoxical because regulation, in the strictest sense, is not considered to be mindfulness. Mindfulness is instead a state of introspection, openness and reflection that allows for self-acceptance.
Mindfulness isn’t a new concept. It has been practiced in Buddhism for more than two thousand years. Recent research suggests that this increased self-awareness reduces stress and anxiety, which in turn lowers the risk of developing disease and cancer.
As a tool to improve your mental and physical health, mindfulness can be used in positive psychology.
#2 – Being mindful can help improve your working memory
Working memory refers to the temporary storage of information in our brains for future recall. Numerous studies have shown a strong correlation between attention and working memories.
Van Vugt & Jha (2011) conducted research that involved taking a group to a month-long mindfulness retreat. The participants were compared to a group that received no mindfulness training (MT).
Before any MT was provided, all participants in both groups undertook a memory-recognition task. After the month of training, all participants completed the second round of a memory-recognition task.
The results were encouraging. While accuracy levels were similar across the two groups, reactions times were faster in the group that had undergone mindfulness training. These results suggest that MT can improve attention, especially in relation to information quality and decision-making processes. This directly links to working memory.
#3 – Mindfulness acts to buffer the depressive symptoms that are associated with discrimination
The University of North Carolina conducted a self-report study to measure discrimination and the severity of depressive symptoms.
A questionnaire was also administered to participants, which measured their mindfulness as a trait/strength. This is defined as an ability to be conscious of the present and to recognize it.
As expected, participants who experienced more discrimination had more depression symptoms. The results also showed that people who were more mindful were less likely to be depressed.
The most important finding was that mindfulness may be a protective factor against discrimination that can lead to depressive symptoms. This means that discrimination was not associated with depression symptoms but became less common as mindfulness increased.
Studies like these show that mindfulness can be an effective way to prevent depression from arising.
#4 – Mindfulness can help to make the most of your strengths
Mindfulness can be a tool to help individuals express their character strengths in a balanced manner that is sensitive and responsive to the circumstances in which they find themselves.
Research has shown that mindfulness can influence mental health and personality (Baer Smith & Allen 2004). It is not surprising that mindfulness is also linked to character strengths.
For thousands of years, mindfulness and strength have been closely intertwined. Mindfulness meditation in Buddhism is not only a powerful method to relieve suffering but also helps cultivate positive qualities and strengths like compassion, wisdom and well-being.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s definition of mindfulness (Niemiec 2014) includes certain dimensions of strengths. His perspective on mindfulness says that mindfulness is a method.
“To keep one’s attention active in the current reality.” This ‘aliveness” refers to both self-regulation and approach to curiosity.
Research by Bishop and his colleagues (2004) shows that mindfulness is achieved when you make a commitment to keep your mind open to new possibilities and to look at the differences between objects. According to Ivtzan, Gardner & Smailova (2011), curiosity is a key attribute for a fulfilling, meaningful, and engaged life.
Niemiec Rashid & Spinella (2012) found that transcendence strengths are more valuable in mindfulness practice because they link mindfulness with spiritual meaning.
People may also face internal and external obstacles during mindfulness practice. This includes boredom, wandering thoughts, physical discomfort, and difficulty staying committed to the practice. It takes courage and perseverance to overcome these obstacles, and to keep going.
Mindfulness is a way to be aware of who we really are. Character strengths are the key, since they are our core.
Mindfulness can help you use your strengths more effectively. Think about it: How can you achieve your goals if your inner workings aren’t being taken into consideration? To pursue and achieve one’s goals, one must pay attention to their inner states, thoughts, emotions, and behavior (Brown & Ryan, 2007).
To see your strengths, you must have access to your inner self. Mindfulness is the way to access your strengths, and your true self.
Carlson (2013) found that there are many blind spots in our society, including the information barrier (or motivation barrier).
Information barrier refers to a barrier caused by a lack or lack of quality information.
Motivation barriers are what happen when we get in our own ways. We may have the right information, but unconsciously reject its accuracy or existence (Brogaard 2015).
These two barriers can be overcome by mindfulness. Mindfulness can help us to overcome our biases towards ourselves. As you become more reality-based, mindfulness can decrease your defensiveness.
Neuroplasticity is a term that refers to brain structural and functional changes related to experience. For a long time, it has been known that music training and language learning can promote brain structural changes and cognitive abilities. The same holds true for mindfulness, it turns out!
Mindful awareness can be described as a type of experience that alters the structure and function of the brain over time. Mindfulness can be described as a mental muscle. Each time we lift weights, we strengthen the muscles we are building. The same goes for compassion-related brain areas. Self-regulation and compassion are both enhanced when we focus on the present moment without judging or trying to control.
Related: Mindfulness and Brain: What Do Research and Neuroscience Say About It?
#5 – Mindfulness can increase your happiness set-point
The brain is divided into the left and right hemispheres. When we feel anxious or depressed, our right prefrontal cortex (the brain’s front-most area that controls higher functions) becomes very active.
When we feel happy and energetic, our brains have high activity in the left frontal cortex. This ratio shows how happy we are throughout our daily activities. What happens to this ratio if we meditate on mindfulness?
Research by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard Davidson has shown that a simple 8 week course of daily mindfulness practice for 1 hour led to significant brain activation increases. This increase is sustained even after the 4 month training program (Davidson et. al. 2003).
This finding shows that mindfulness practices can increase our happiness, both at the mental and physical levels.
#6 – Mindfulness is a way to be more resilient
Resilience, in its most basic form, refers to an individual’s ability to overcome setbacks and adapt to change. One region of the brain responsible for resilience is the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). It is located in the middle of the brain. The ACC is important in self-regulation, learning from past experiences to support optimal decision-making.
Tang and his coworkers found that mindfulness groups who completed a 3-hour mindfulness practice session had higher activity in ACC, and also performed better on tests of self-regulation, resisting distractors, and self-regulation, than the control group (Tang et. al., 2007; 2009.
With a little mindfulness practice, you can make a difference in how your brain responds to setbacks and make better decisions.
#7 – It reduces stress in your brain
Ever felt like you were running ragged through your daily life, sweaty palms and anxious? Perhaps you even struggled to get to sleep at night. The amygdala, which is a small part of the brain that controls stress, takes over when we feel stressed.
The amygdala, a brain region that responds to stress and helps us deal with anxiety situations, is an important part of our brain. High levels of amygdala activity are associated with anxiety disorders and depression
