A study from the University of Cambridge in Great Britain found that teaching teenagers "mindfulness" improved their mental health. Mindfulness training is often incorporated into residential recovery programs for issues such as trauma and eating disorders.
- Professor Felicia Huppert and her colleagues studied 155 boys ages 14 to 15 years old, who took a one month class in mindfulness.
- Mindfulness is awareness of what is happening at any given moment, and experiencing everything without making judgments.
- The class consisted of four-40 minute classes, and the boys were asked to practice mindfulness at home.
- The research team tested the class participants, as well as a control group that did not take the course, before and after the program.
The boys who took the courses had increased feelings of well-being and more positive emotions such as contentment, being interested, and feeling affectionate. Boys who had high levels of anxiety and those who practiced the most often achieved the greatest benefits.
"We believe that these mindfulness training can enhance well-being in a number of ways," said Dr. Huppert. "If you practice being in the present, you can increase positive feelings by savoring pleasurable ongoing experiences. Additionally, calming the mind and observing experiences with curiosity and acceptance not only reduces stress but helps with attention, control, and emotional regulation -- skills which are valuable, both inside and outside the classroom."
She said that as a result of this study, state and private schools are initiating an eight-week curriculum in mindfulness training.
Labels: mental_health, mindfulness
Posted By: Aspen Education Group