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Mindfulness Meditation Increases Well-Being in Adolescent Boys, Study Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100901111720.htm
ScienceDaily (Sep. 1, 2010) — 'Mindfulness', the process of learning
to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases well-being
in adolescent boys, a new study reports.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge analyzed 155 boys from
two independent UK schools, Tonbridge and Hampton, before and after a
four-week crash course in mindfulness. After the trial period, the 14
and 15 year-old boys were found to have increased well-being, defined
as the combination of feeling good (including positive emotions such
as happiness, contentment, interest and affection) and functioning
well.
Professor Felicia Huppert of the Well-being Institute at the
University of Cambridge said: "More and more we are realising the
importance of supporting the overall mental health of children. Our
study demonstrates that this type of training improves well-being in
adolescents and that the more they practice, the greater the benefits.
Importantly, many of the students genuinely enjoyed the exercises and
said they intended to continue them -- a good sign that many children
would be receptive to this type of intervention.
"Another significant aspect of this study is that adolescents who
suffered from higher levels of anxiety were the ones who benefitted
most from the training."
For the experiment, students in six classes were trained in mindful
awareness -- mindfulness. Mindfulness is a 'way of paying attention.
It means consciously bringing awareness to our experience, in the
present moment, without making judgements about it'. Students in the
five control classes attended their normal religious studies lessons.
The training consisted of four 40 minute classes, one per week, which
presented the principles and practice of mindfulness. The classes
covered the concepts of awareness and acceptance, and taught the
schoolboys such things as how to practice bodily awareness by noticing
where they were in contact with their chairs or the floor, paying
attention to their breathing, and noticing all the sensations involved
in walking.
The students were also asked to practice outside the classroom and
were encouraged to listen to a CD or mp3 file for eight minutes a day.
These exercises are intended to improve concentration and reduce
stress.
All participants completed a short series of online questionnaires
before and after the mindfulness project. The questionnaires measured
the effect of the training on changes in mindful awareness, resilience
(the ability to modify responses to changing situations) and
psychological well-being.
The researchers found that although it was a short programme, the
students who participated in the mindfulness training had increased
levels of well-being which were proportional to the amount of time the
students spent practicing their new skills.
Professor Huppert continued: "We believe that the effects of
mindfulness training can enhance well-being in a number of ways. If
you practice being in the present, you can increase positive feelings
by savouring pleasurable on-going experiences. Additionally, calming
the mind and observing experiences with curiosity and acceptance not
only reduces stress but helps with attention control and emotion
regulation -- skills which are valuable both inside and outside the
classroom."
The success of this initial study has recently led to the creation of
an exciting 8 week mindfulness curriculum for schools in both the
state and private sectors. This new curriculum, which includes games
and video clips, should have even greater benefits.
For further information, see http://mindfulnessinschools.org.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by
ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of
Cambridge, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Journal Reference:
1. Felicia Huppert, Daniel Johnson. A controlled trial of
mindfulness training in schools: The importance of practice for an
impact on well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2010; 5 (4):
264 DOI: 10.1080/17439761003794148
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
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