Happiness 101: the science of mindfulness
Why is mindfulness considered a real superpower?
Photo by Jay Castor on Unsplash
Happiness is without a doubt the most longed after feeling in the world. Even though it feels weird to be talking about happiness during these tough times, I believe it is more important than ever to have open and honest conversations about mental health and wellbeing. This year has been particularly challenging for everyone, especially for students, as dealing with university, isolation, and lack of social interactions is certainly no easy task. Anxiety and stress levels have soared during the pandemic, which is why I believe it is important to have a better understanding of our own emotions and power, as well as the tools we can use that would help us cope with negative emotions.
One such tool is mindfulness, which has become a more and more popular technique in recent years, as anxious, overworked, or overwhelmed people are seeking a happier, more peaceful lifestyle. Despite being met with skepticism by the scientific community due to its lack of proper research, important progress that demonstrates mindfulness’ effectiveness has been made.
So, what exactly is mindfulness and how does it improve our wellbeing? According to the science, mindfulness is a powerful mental tool characterised by non-judgmental, present-centred awareness in which each thought, emotion, and sensation that arises is acknowledged and accepted as it is. And with practice and patience, it increases one’s wellbeing by easing anxiety, increasing focus, improving stress management, as well as increasing cognitive flexibility.
Stress-management and anxiety
To prove the effect that mindfulness has on the wiring of the brain, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School ran a mindfulness-focused program for stress reduction over the course of eight weeks. What they discovered were remarkable changes in the density of grey matter in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for emotions, arousal, and responsiveness. By teaching us how to have more awareness of what is happening in the present and by allowing us to process and understand our emotions and motives that drive our behaviour, mindfulness ultimately enables us to have more adaptive reactions to difficult situations. As a consequence, it reduces anxiety and depression and improves overall wellbeing.
Attention and cognitive flexibility
Neuroimaging studies also show that mindfulness increases activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain that is involved in executive function and attention. Because attention is a key element of mindfulness, researchers have so far focused more extensively on attention-related cognitive processes. And because processing and regulating our emotion requires a lot of attention as we continuously attend to various and ambiguous incoming information, a new neuropsychological study links attention to cognitive flexibility, which is described as “the ability to adapt cognitive strategies in response to new and unexpected conditions, and is intimately related to the investment of attention”. Mindfulness enhances our attention, which in turn improves cognitive flexibility and boosts our mental health and emotional well-being.
Practising mindfulness
The research sounds promising, but how can we actually achieve mindfulness and become more self-aware? A first step would be, as cliché as it may sound, the age-old practice of meditation. Because this allows us to be present and aware of our feelings. Whether we are sad, anxious, or angry, facing our emotions and looking at them objectively can bring us closer to a more peaceful self. Going on walks and taking in the surroundings or helping someone else. Nature and compassion are the perfect ingredients to a happier state of mind. Remember, it is the simple things in life that allow us to look within ourselves and be mindful.
This article is published as part of the Happiness 101 series, written by Pi Media columnist Sorana Bucseneanu