The Art & Science of Mindfulness
Mindfulness practitioners claim that it radically alters how they view life. Researchers have been seeking to explain this in biological terms for the past 40 years.
Mindfulness has been properly shown in studies to reduce anxiety and depression, boost your immune system, help you manage pain, help you break free from unhealthy habits and addictions, lower blood pressure, soothe insomnia, and even change the structure and function of your brain in positive ways—all in as little as 8 weeks of practice.
The most reputable researchers studying the impact of mindfulness techniques note that the research is still in its infancy compared to many other disciplines. It will take years or decades for enough peer-reviewed studies with active controls and extensive time frames to be conducted to produce strong proof of benefits. Nevertheless, the topic is new, and the research is promising.
The Science of Mindfulness: 8 Scientifically Supported Methods Mindfulness Allows Us to Heal and Thrive
1. Addiction: According to a study of various meta-analyses of 34 randomized controlled trials, mindfulness-based therapies may be beneficial in reducing the desire and drug abuse. According to the researchers, mindfulness may be especially useful in enhancing awareness of stress, despair, anger, loneliness, and cravings that can frequently spark a relapse.
2. Burnout: A meta-analysis of 23-studies on the (MBSR-effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) on employee burnout discovered that 2 months of mindfulness training properly reduced stress, depression, anxiety, psychological distress, occupational stress, and emotional exhaustion while increasing relaxation, self-compassion, sleep quality, and a sense of personal accomplishment.
3. Suicide: An assessment of a few research on the effects of mindfulness-based therapies on suicidal behavior discovered that mindfulness teaching might be especially effective for helping individuals manage stress and challenges with problem-solving. It can also enhance focus and lessen suicidal thoughts, which are established risk factors for suicide attempts.
4. Harassment/Bias: A study of 72 college students found that mindfulness training can raise awareness of one's underlying ideas, leading to a reduction in negative attitudes and prejudices. Another research asked students about their degrees of mindfulness, self-esteem, and fear of rejection in social circumstances. Those who had poor self-esteem were more fearful of rejection, but being more conscious reduced those impacts.
5. Team dynamics: A study of 311 employees from three Chinese organizations investigated how individual and team mindfulness influenced job engagement. Individual and team mindfulness has improved employee recovery from job-related stress and enhanced engagement with work activities. Furthermore, being absorbed in work improved employee performance.
6. Worker and personal productivity: Following training, employees reported decreased stress, anxiety, and psychological discomfort, as well as improved general well-being and sleep quality, according to an analysis of 23 research on the advantages of mindfulness-based programs in the workplace. The research on the relationship between mindfulness training and other aspects of work-life, such as employee performance, leadership ability, and sound decision-making, was equivocal.
7. Focus/attention: Ohio State University researchers examined 56 studies on the long-term impact of mindfulness teaching on attentional control. Retreats and feasibility studies were used as training methods, as were randomized controlled trials. Following a mindfulness program, retreat and feasibility studies revealed enhanced goal-directed focus and attentiveness to physiological sensations. However, the findings of randomized controlled trials with an active control group, in which participants received a different type of training, were inconclusive. (I'm not sure whether this is satisfactory in such a brief manner, but I don't want to create the idea that RCTs agree with the other findings.)
8. Creativity/innovation: According to researchers who reanalyzed 33 published publications with 1,549 individuals, mindfulness and creativity are substantially associated. They concluded that mindfulness-based therapies concentrating on open-monitoring might improve creative capacities. However, it is unclear why and how mindfulness adds to the creative process.
