Less Is More: The Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Undergraduate Students’ Academic Performance

Abstract

Mindfulness in higher education has become a popular subject in academic research. Several studies have shown the positive effects of mindfulness practice for undergraduate students, lowering anxiety levels, improving self-esteem and promoting social skills. Despite this interest, the evidence suggesting all these positive effects translate into improved academic performance is still scarce. Aim: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of mindfulness practice on academic performance of 302 students of the degree of Psychology at the University of Barcelona (Spain) utilizing a control group. Method: The students were distributed between two conditions: the first condition underwent mindfulness practice during the first 10 minutes of class during ten weeks of the academic year; the second condition underwent no practice at all. As well, both conditions were split in two equal size groups. Academic performance was measured trough mean grade score at the end of the academic year. Results: The results confirmed that students who attended mindfulness practices achieved better academic performance compared to those who did not attend practice sessions. Conclusions: The study's findings suggest that mindfulness is a successful strategy to improve academic performance in undergraduate students. It is an innovative and easy practice to implement that has a positive impact on overall student learning experience. The underlying psychological mechanisms that explain the effects of mindfulness practice on academic performance remains to be explored.

The effects of short interventions of focused-attention vs. self-compassion mindfulness meditation on undergraduate students: Evidence from self-report, classroom performance, and ERPs

“…Research studying these effects in post-secondary students is not as abundant; however, there is no reason to suspect that college-aged students cannot benefit from these practices as well. Indeed, the benefits of mindfulness practices for university students have been proposed [57] and found when investigated [20,58], with the exception of one study that did not find behavioral benefits from mindfulness practice [59]. This study finds that even brief, 5 minute mindfulness practices incorporated into the start of a class can improve student wellbeing, attention, and test performance, particularly if the practice focuses on self-compassion.…”