If you think your inability to concentrate is a hopeless
condition, think again –– and breathe, and focus. According to a study by
researchers at the UC Santa Barbara, as little as two weeks of mindfulness
training can significantly improve one's reading comprehension, working memory
capacity, and ability to focus.
Their findings were recently published online in the
empirical psychology journal Psychological Science.
"What surprised me the most was actually the clarity of
the results," said Michael Mrazek, graduate student researcher in
psychology and the lead and corresponding author of the paper,
"Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance
While Reducing Mind Wandering." "Even with a rigorous design and
effective training program, it wouldn't be unusual to find mixed results. But
we found reduced mind-wandering in every way we measured it."