Thousands of studies have highlighted the benefits of mindfulness, making it appear almost like a miracle cure. The issue, however, is that not all of these studies were conducted rigorously. Daniel Goleman, known for his book “Emotional Intelligence,” and Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, reviewed thousands of these studies. They discovered that only one percent met the current gold standards of medical research. While it’s easy to become disheartened by the poor methodology of the remaining 99 percent, focusing on the four well-supported findings identified by Goleman and Davidson is more productive.
In a Harvard Business Review article, Goleman pinpointed these four benefits: improved focus, stress management, better memory, and increased kindness. Since he was writing for a business audience, Goleman framed mindfulness as a tool to create better workers, interpreting kindness as “good corporate citizenship.” Let’s explore these benefits from a more personal and spiritual perspective.
People who practice mindfulness regularly are less prone to mind-wandering and distractions. This improvement is essential because mindfulness helps us recognize when our thoughts are drifting unproductively and brings us back to our present experience. This wandering often involves what Buddhist meditation traditions call the “five hindrances”: craving, anger, worry, low energy, and doubt. These hindrances can negatively impact our well-being and relationships.
Reduced mind-wandering is closely linked with better self-control, or executive function. Neurologically, mindfulness enhances the brain’s prefrontal cortex’s ability to regulate the amygdala, which triggers disruptive emotions like anger and anxiety. Being mindful helps us avoid addictive behaviors and unnecessary conflicts by allowing us to detect and manage these impulses early.
Mindfulness, in essence, provides greater mental freedom, leading to increased happiness and harmony in our lives. This enhanced regulation of the amygdala by the prefrontal cortex also reduces stress, improving our decision-making. High amygdala activity hampers clear thinking, often leading to poor decisions. For instance, feeling panicky about opening bills might make us hide them, exacerbating the problem. Mindfulness promotes clearer thinking, aiding better decisions.
Moreover, mindfulness enriches our interpersonal relationships. An overactive amygdala constantly looks for potential threats, causing unnecessary worries about others’ opinions or intentions. Mindfulness enables us to focus on building meaningful, supportive connections instead of wasting energy on imagined threats. A stronger support network, in turn, helps us manage other life stresses better.
Those who practice mindfulness also demonstrate stronger short-term memory, or working memory. For instance, college students practicing mindfulness saw their graduate school entrance exam scores improve by 16 percent. Working memory keeps relevant information in our conscious mind as needed. A robust working memory lets us store more information without losing data, facilitating everyday tasks and complex problem-solving.
The benefits of a better working memory extend beyond practical tasks. It helps us remember ethical principles and guidelines in our daily lives. Often, we aim to be less reactive but forget these intentions during interactions because we cannot keep long-term goals in mind while dealing with immediate concerns.
Buddhist psychology calls this “sampajañña” — the continuity of purpose — which is crucial for long-term personal growth. While Goleman presents mindfulness as creating “good corporate citizens,” this perspective can feel limiting. More importantly, mindfulness fosters caring, generosity, and a higher likelihood of helping others, leading to kinder and more compassionate communities.
Ultimately, mindfulness helps us build more harmonious families and communities and support individuals in need. In these challenging times, it can contribute to creating a better world.