Mindfulness may boost your brain's efficiency and hone your attention and focus.
We’re often told that people who are inherently mindful are better at focusing their attention.
Although a number of studies show that mindfulness is related to functional and structural changes in brain regions related to attention, few studies link those brain changes to behavior.
To bridge that gap, researchers at Michigan State University asked 63 female college students with no prior mindfulness training to rate their level of mindfulness on a survey. They then measured the student’s brain activity and had them complete a computerized attention test.
The goal was to see if students’ mindfulness was related to attention-related brain activity and better performance on tasks requiring focused attention. That’s exactly what they found.
More mindful individuals demonstrated greater speed and accuracy on tests requiring focused attention. Their brain activity was also more efficient, meaning they were less distractible and took less effort to complete the tests.
This suggests that mindfulness may boost both our brain’s efficiency and performance on undertakings that require heightened focus.