Research
Below you will find a sampling of research and published articles about the science behind the Relaxation Response developed by Dr. Herbert Benson of the Benson-Henry Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Improving Student Campus Well-Being
The MGH Benson-Henry Institute Positivity and Relaxation Training (PART) program supports college student success by reducing stress, anxiety and depression.
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Mindfulness Training Reduces Test Anxiety
For many high school students, test anxiety is a prevalent issue that adversely affects their exam performance. This study examines the effects of a brief, five-day mindfulness training and immediate session on enhancing students’ mindfulness levels and reducing their test anxiety.
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Benefits of Mindfulness for Middle School Students
Two new studies from MIT suggest that mindfulness can enhance academic performance and mental health in middle schoolers. The researchers found that more mindfulness correlates with better academic performance, fewer suspensions from school, and less stress.
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Can Mindfulness Meditation Improve Performance?
Results document that students who are asked to complete brief meditations immediately before exams perform better. Research proposes mindfulness meditation as a tool for educators, individuals, and policymakers to use in efforts to reduce bias in decision-making.
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Impact of Meditation on Cognitive Abilities
This research explores the influence of meditation on academic performance and cognitive abilities among students. Drawing upon a comprehensive review of existing literature and empirical studies, the research examines the potential benefits of incorporating meditation practices into educational settings.
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Mindfulness and Academic Achievement
Mindfulness is a crucial factor for enhancing an individual’s focus and reducing distractions, which can lead to increased productivity and improved overall performance. Additionally, mindfulness practices have been shown to alleviate stress by promoting mental clarity and calmness, suppressing negative thoughts, and stimulating creative ideas.
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Counter-Stress Changes and the Relaxation Response
This study provides compelling evidence that the Relaxation Response (RR) elicits specific gene expression changes in short-term and long-term practitioners. Results suggest consistent and constitutive changes in gene expression resulting from RR may relate to long term physiological effects. The study may stimulate new investigations into applying transcriptional profiling for accurately measuring RR and stress related responses in multiple disease settings.
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Meditation and Increased Cortical Thickness
Research indicates that long-term meditation practice is associated with altered resting electroencephalogram patterns, suggestive of long lasting changes in brain activity. It is hypothe-sized that meditation practice might also be associated with changes in the brain’s physical structure.
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