For today’s students, distractions are common. Studying is often accompanied by vibrations from incoming texts, Facebook notifications and tweets. This “mind wandering” leads to “impaired performance” of cognitive abilities, according to a study published last month in Psychological Science.
Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that working memory improved and mind wandering decreased after a group of undergraduates took a two-week-long mindfulness training course, similar to meditation.
The class required subjects to attend daily meditation outside of their studies. People sat on cushions and completed mindfulness exercises. These students saw improved test scores and increased capacity for working memory, according to the study.
UF’s Counseling & Wellness Center runs a similar course on mindfulness-based stress reduction, called “Taming the Anxious Mind,” that lasts about 8 weeks, said Tina Tannen, a clinical assistant professor at the center.
“When you are mindful, you’re present,” she said. “You’re not thinking about the next question or worrying about the question before.”
Carolina Garcia, a 21-year-old public relations junior, will teach a Ride and Relax class this Fall as a UF group fitness instructor. The class includes 45 minutes of cycling and 30 minutes of yoga. She said meditation helps reduce stress, which improves focus.
“People think you have to meditate in this cross-legged position with your hands like a gypsy,” Garcia said. “When in reality, you can meditate lying down.”
