Meditating helps students get better
grades
By news agencies 10:31AM BST 12 Apr
2013
Meditating for just six minutes before
going to lectures could help students get better grades, according
to research.
A study of university students in
California found that those who practised the art of Zen scored
better on tests, reports journal Mindfulness.
They also found students who meditated
before classes were able to focus better and concentrate for
longer.
In one experiment, the meditation even
predicted which students passed and which students failed the
quiz.
The research was found to work better on
first year students, leading researchers to speculate that younger
students who struggle to concentrate could benefit more from
meditation.
George Mason University, Virgina, professor
Robert Youmans, who co-lead the study with University of Illinois
doctoral student Jared Ramsburg, said: "One difficulty for
researchers who study meditation is that the supposed benefits of
meditation do not always replicate across different studies or
populations, and so we have been trying to figure out
why.
"This data from this study suggest that
meditation may help students who might have trouble paying
attention or focusing.
"Sadly, freshmen classes probably contain
more of these types of students than senior courses because student
populations who have difficulty self-regulating are also more
likely to leave the university."
Researchers believe with more extensive
training and coaching that the results could
improve.
Mr Ramsburg, a practising Buddhist, said:
"With just six minutes meditation test, we got improved
results.
"I think that if mindfulness can improve
mental clarity, focus and self-discipline, then it might be useful
in a variety of settings and for a variety of
goals."
Researchers believe taking long walks in
the morning to plan out your day could have the same positive
effects as meditation.
Mr Ramsburg added: "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."
