Many studies show the benefits of mindfulness, making it seem like a miracle solution. However, not all of these studies are reliable. Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson reviewed thousands of these studies and found that only one percent met the highest standards for medical research. Instead of focusing on the poor quality of many studies, we can look at the four well-supported benefits that Goleman and Davidson identified.
Goleman detailed these four benefits in the Harvard Business Review: better focus, staying calmer under stress, improved memory, and increased kindness. While Goleman framed these benefits as tools for improving workplace performance, it’s also essential to consider their spiritual advantages.
Regular mindfulness practice helps reduce mind-wandering and distractibility. This is important because it allows us to recognize when our minds stray into unhelpful thoughts and bring our attention back to the present. The Buddhist meditation tradition identifies five hindrances—craving, anger, worry, low energy, and doubt—that negatively affect our well-being and relationships. By reducing these hindrances, mindfulness enhances our executive function and self-control.
Neurologically, mindfulness helps the prefrontal cortex regulate the amygdala, which manages emotions like anger and anxiety. This regulation makes it easier to avoid addictive behaviors and conflicts, providing more mental freedom and happiness.
Mindfulness also reduces stress by allowing the prefrontal cortex to control the amygdala more effectively. This improved regulation aids in better decision-making by preventing the amygdala from overwhelming the prefrontal cortex, which can lead to poor choices. For example, mindfulness can help us avoid panicking over bills and instead handle them calmly, reducing overall stress.
Quality relationships improve with mindfulness because it helps the amygdala stay calm, preventing unnecessary worry about social threats. This emotional stability helps us build supportive, nourishing connections, which further aids in managing life’s stresses.
Mindfulness enhances short-term (or working) memory, as evidenced by college students’ test scores improving by 16% after mindfulness training. Working memory is crucial for keeping relevant information accessible, such as remembering a phone number long enough to dial it. Improved working memory also helps maintain ethical principles and long-term goals in our daily interactions.
For those striving to be kinder and more compassionate, better working memory helps keep these intentions at the forefront. This ability, known as “sampajañña” in Buddhist psychology, is essential for lasting personal growth.
Goleman also notes that mindfulness increases activity in brain circuits related to caring and generosity, leading to more compassionate behavior. This makes us better individuals beyond corporate benefits, fostering more harmonious communities and helping those in need.
In summary, mindfulness practice offers numerous benefits that extend far beyond the workplace, contributing to personal and spiritual growth and creating a better world.