‘Mindfulness’ mediation improves mental health in teen boys

WASHINGTON - ‘Mindfulness’ meditation, the process of becoming more aware of one’s surroundings, improves mental health and well being in teenage boys, says a new study.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that after meditation, 14 and 15 year-old boys were found to have increased well-being, defined as the combination of feeling good (including positive emotions such as happiness, contentment, interest and affection) and functioning well.

“Our study demonstrates that this type of training improves well-being in adolescents and that the more they practice, the greater the benefits. Importantly, many of the students genuinely enjoyed the exercises and said they intended to continue them,” said Professor Felicia Huppert.

“Another significant aspect of this study is that adolescents who suffered from higher levels of anxiety were the ones who benefitted most from the training,” she added.

The meditation classes covered the concepts of awareness and acceptance, and taught the schoolboys such things as how to practice bodily awareness by noticing where they were in contact with their chairs or the floor, paying attention to their breathing, and noticing all the sensations involved in walking.

“If you practice being in the present, you can increase positive feelings by savouring pleasurable on-going experiences.

Additionally, calming the mind and observing experiences with curiosity and acceptance not only reduces stress but helps with attention control and emotion regulation - skills which are valuable both inside and outside the classroom,” Huppert concluded. (ANI)