Practicing a little Zen before a class can lead to better scores in exams, a new study has claimed.
George Mason University professor Robert Youmans and University of Illinois doctoral student Jared Ramsburg conducted three classroom experiments at a California university to see if meditation helped pupils focus better and retain information.
A random selection of students followed basic meditation instructions before a lecture, and the students who meditated scored better on a quiz than students who did not meditate.
In one experiment, the meditation even predicted which students passed the quiz and which students failed.
The researchers also showed that the effect of the meditation was stronger in classes where more freshmen students were enrolled, showing that meditation might have a bigger effect on freshmen students.
The researchers speculate that freshmen courses more likely contain the types of students who stand to benefit the most from meditation training.
Youmans, an assistant professor of psychology, believes that self-reflection might have an important place in freshmen seminars or institutions with high attrition rates.
Ramsburg, lead author of the study and a practicing Buddhist, said that he personally found meditation to be helpful for mental clarity, focus and self-discipline.
He said that he thinks 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.
Youmans also suggests that, in theory, other forms of active self-reflection like prayer, taking long walks or even just taking the time to mindfully plan out your day in the morning can have some of the same positive effects as meditation.
The study has been published in the journal Mindfulness.
———-ANI