What Exactly is Mindfulness – And Why Does It Matter?
What exactly is mindfulness? It may be more helpful to start with what mindfulness is not. It’s not:
- To relax
- A religion
- A way to change your thoughts
- A way to make your mind blank
- Difficult
- Easy
- A way to not be concerned with the future anymore
- Impossible to investigate scientifically
Mainstream mindfulness as it is generally practiced today was founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of medicine, emeritus, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He has defined mindfulness as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” By focusing on the breath, the idea is to cultivate attention on the body and mind as it is moment-to-moment, thereby helping with pain, both physical and emotional, and learning to respond in a more thoughtful manner.
Dr. Kabat-Zinn, internationally known for his work as a scientist, writer, and meditation teacher and his world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic (MBSR), earned his Ph.D. in molecular biology from MIT, studying with the Nobel Laureate in physiology and medicine, Salvador Luria. His research between 1979 and 2002 focused on mind/body interactions for healing, on various clinical applications of mindfulness meditation training for people with chronic pain and/or stress-related disorders, on the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the brain and how it processes emotions, particularly under stress, and on the immune system.
In 1998, Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues published a research paper on a clinical trial that demonstrated a four-fold effect of the mind on the rate of skin clearing in patients with psoriasis undergoing ultraviolet light therapy: [Kabat-Zinn et al, Psychosomatic Medicine 60:625-623 (1998)]. Another study [Davidson, Kabat-Zinn, et al. (2003)], showed positive changes in brain activity associated with more effective emotional processing under stress, and in immune function in people taking an MBSR course in a corporate work setting in a randomized clinical trial.
This was, essentially, the beginning of mainstream mindfulness study. Mindfulness practice has been associated with numerous benefits, including:
1. Improved Working Memory
According to a study by Jha and colleagues in 2010, mindfulness meditation has been empirically linked to enhanced working memory capacity. Comparing samples of military participants who practiced mindfulness meditation training for eight weeks with those who didn’t, Jha et al. (2010) found evidence to suggest that mindfulness training helped “buffer” against losses to working memory capacity. Additionally, they found that working memory capacity also increased as the first group practiced mindfulness meditation. These participants also reported greater positive affect and lowered negative affect.
2. Heightened Metacognitive Awareness
In layperson’s terms, this describes being able to detach from one’s own feelings and mental processes, essentially stepping back and perceiving them as transient, momentary occurrences rather than a definition of “who we are.” In the Buddhist sense, this would relate to “knowing” and “freeing” the mind. Empirical literature describes how mindfulness has been hypothesized to decrease patterns of negative thinking behavior (Teasdale, 1999), increased metacognitive awareness, and decentering (Fresco et al., 2007). This may have a positive effect in helping avoid relapses into depression (Teasdale, 1999).
3. Lower Levels of Anxiety
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been examined in a wide range of randomized, controlled trials that find support for its impact on alleviating symptoms of anxiety. Vøllestad and colleagues found that participants who completed MBSR had a medium to large positive impact on anxiety symptoms (Vøllestad et al., 2011). Similar results have also been found in studies on social anxiety disorder. For example, Goldin and Gross (2010) found evidence to suggest MBSR training in SAD patients helped to improve anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as self-esteem.
4. Reduced Emotional “Reactivity”
There is evidence to support the role of mindfulness meditation in emotive “reactivity.” In an emotional interference task conducted by Ortner and colleagues in 2007, participants with wide-ranging experience in mindfulness meditation were asked to categorize tones that were given either one or four seconds after a neutral or emotionally upsetting picture was presented. Those participants with more experience practicing mindfulness meditation were better able to disengage emotionally, meaning that they showed greater focus on the task at-hand even when emotionally upsetting pictures were shown (Ortner et al., 2007).
5. Enhanced Visual Attention Processing
A study by Hodgins and Adair (2010) compared the performance of “meditators” and “non-meditators” on visual attention processing tasks. Those participants who practiced mindfulness meditation showed greater attentional functioning through better performance on tests of concentration, selective attention, and more. These results correspond with earlier findings that systematic mindfulness meditation training stimulates improvements in attention, awareness, and emotion (Treadway & Lazar, 2009).
6. Reduced Stress
Mindfulness training has been linked to lower stress levels. One example of empirical evidence comes from Bränström et al. (2010), who found cancer patients who took part in mindfulness training had significantly reduced self-reported stress than those who did not. They also displayed greater positive states of mind and fewer post-traumatic avoidance symptoms such as loss of interest in activities.
7. Managing Physical Pain
There is research that suggests mindfulness may have a role in helping to manage subjective pain. Kieszkowska-Grudny (2016) sites numerous examples of studies into how mindfulness may help to manage chronic pain and help patients improve their quality of life (Goldenberg et al., 1994; Vowles & McCracken, 2008; 2011).
This list is by no means exhaustive. Indeed, there are many more studies into topics such as reduced psychological distress, heightened focus, as well as more applications of the above ideas in much more specific settings. This is just a start to looking at how mindfulness can help us in our daily lives.