A new study released by George Mason University, and published in the journal Mindfulness, has found that students provided with basic meditation instruction (consisting of only six minutes of written meditation exercises) before a lecture, scored better on a quiz that followed. The study also found that the effects of the meditation was stronger amongst freshmen students.
“Personally, I have found meditation to be helpful for mental clarity, focus and self-discipline,” says Ramsburg, lead author of the study and a practicing Buddhist.
“This data from this study suggest that meditation may help students who might have trouble paying attention or focusing.” says Youmans, an assistant professor of psychology. “Basically, becoming just a little bit more mindful about yourself and your place in the world might have a very important, practical benefit — in this case, doing better in college.”