Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Meditation for College Students

Jenny Yu

College is a transformational period that brings new experiences and challenges to students (Burgstahler & Stenson, 2019; Falsafi, 2016; Shearer et al., 2016; Vidic, 2021). They are required to adjust to changes, adapt to new roles and lifestyles, manage multiple responsibilities, and maintain interpersonal relationships (Crowley et al., 2020; Falsafi, 2016; Shearer et al., 2016; Vidic, 2021), along with navigating academic tasks and achieving academic success (Tadese et al., 2022; Tentama & Abdillah, 2019). However, the demanding and stressful nature of college life, along with limited access to support from parents and old friends, often results in overall poor mental health among students (Falsafi, 2016; Shearer et al., 2016; Vidic, 2021). For example, recent research has highlighted an increase in depressive symptoms and anxiety among college students (Goodwin et al., 2022; Mayo Clinic, 2022), which, in turn, result in poor academic performance (Mihăilescu et al., 2016; Owens et al., 2012). Notably, recent work has suggested that mindfulnessbased meditation is beneficial for improving college students’ academic performance and psychological functioning (Flett et al., 2018; Lin & Mai, 2018; Parmentier et al., 2019; Quach et al., 2016; Vidic, 2021). Therefore, this literature review explored the following research question: How does practicing mindfulnessbased meditation benefit college students cognitively and psychologically?

Cognitive Benefits

When engaging in mindfulness-based meditation, the practitioner must focus attention on the present in a nonjudgmental way (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Kabat-Zinn et al., 1992). Thus, it is not surprising that it is effective in improving concentration through reducing mind-wandering (Beck et al., 2017; Bennike et al., 2017; Mrazek et al., 2013; Rahl et al., 2017). Those who regularly practice mindfulness-based meditation tend to develop an enhanced awareness of their surrounding environment and better attentional monitoring abilities (Bennike et al., 2017; Mrazek et al.; 2013; Rahl et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2017). By sharpening these abilities, mindfulness-based meditation also fosters better working memory (Mrazek et al., 2013; Quach et al., 2016; Youngs et al., 2021). As a result, more cognitive resources can be freed up from processing irrelevant information to better engage in tasks at hand, which is related to higher quality of information processing (Mrazek et al., 2013; Quach et al., 2016).

In particular, mind-wandering during lectures is common among college students, especially with the distractions resulting from the presence of smartphones and other electronic devices (Stothart et al., 2015; Sumuer & Kasikci, 2022; Unsworth &

McMillan, 2017). Mind-wandering prevents college students from fully engaging with course material and interferes with their information processing, which, in turn, compromises their absorption of lecture content (Klinger, 2013; Sumuer & Kasikci, 2022; Wammes et al., 2016). With better attention control abilities, college students are more able to refocus their attention on tasks at hand effectively with improved concentration and higher engagement (Bennike et al., 2017; Kerrigan et al., 2017; Mrazek et al.; 2013). At the same time, improved working memory as a result of mindfulness-based meditation also allows college students to more effectively absorb the lecture content, and hence achieve better academic performance (Bóo et al., 2020; Mrazek et al., 2013; Quach et al., 2016).

Psychological Benefits

In addition to improving task performance, mindfulnessbased meditation also helps people curb rumination, which is the process of having repeated thoughts about past negative experiences (Desrosiers et al., 2013; Edenfield & Saeed, 2012; Kropp & Sedlmeier, 2019; Shahar et al., 2010; Parmentier et al., 2019). Enhanced attention control can reduce rumination by helping people recognize their fixation on past negative events and redirect their attention toward other things (Burg & Michalak, 2010; Deng et al., 2014; Desrosiers et al., 2013; Parmentier et al., 2019; Shahar et al., 2010). Furthermore, enhanced attention control also facilitates cognitive reappraisal (i.e., reframing experiences and assigning them new meaning), which increases people’s awareness of their negative thoughts (Cerna et al., 2019; Desrosiers et al., 2013; Parmentier et al., 2019). It helps people recognize instances where they are selfblaming for failures and prompt them to intentionally seek out positive alternative ways to reinterpret negative events (Desrosiers et al., 2013; Garland et al., 2015; Parmentier et al., 2019). In addition, mindfulness-based meditation asks them to be less judgmental and more accepting of their feelings, thereby developing self-compassion, or the ability to treat themselves with understanding and care (Diedrich et al., 2016; Kropp & Sedlmeier, 2019; Shearer et al., 2016; Van Dam et al., 2013).

Cultivation of healthy emotional responses is particularly important to college students as they are transitioning from high school to adulthood (Falsafi, 2016; Schulenberg et al., 2004; Vidic, 2021). This transition involves being exposed to new experiences and challenges, along with abrupt changes in environment and social networks (Dutta et al., 2018; Falsafi, 2016; Schulenberg et al., 2004). These abrupt changes often bring great pressure and make college students more prone to experiencing negative emotions as a result of failing to make adjustments

(Dutta et al., 2018; Falsafi, 2016). Under these circumstances, mindfulness-based meditation serves as an effective practice for college students to cultivate adaptive emotional responses to negative events to better navigate through stressful life (Cerna et al., 2019; Desrosiers et al., 2013; Dvořáková et al., 2017; Falsafi, 2016; Parmentier et al., 2019). As a result of their mindfulnessbased meditation, college students can better identify when they use maladaptive coping strategies to respond to negative events, such as academic or relationship failures, and try to correct it by either switching to other more enjoyable activities or finding positive way to interpret the events (Cerna et al., 2019; Desrosiers et al., 2013; Parmentier et al., 2019; Shearer et al., 2016).

Conclusion

Practicing mindfulness-based meditation offers a variety of benefits to help college students adapt to stressful college life, such as improving academic performance and psychological functioning (Bóo et al., 2020; Cerna et al., 2019; Falsafi, 2016; Parmentier et al., 2019). The improved attention control abilities can be transferred to higher engagement in academic settings and to more flexibility in response to negative events (Bóo et al., 2020; Desrosiers et al., 2013; Parmentier et al., 2019; Quach et al., 2016). The techniques of mindfulness-based meditation are relatively easy to grasp, so college students can learn them on their own, using trainings that are publicly available online (Falsafi, 2016; Fish & Saul, 2019; Flett et al., 2018; Lattie et al., 2019). Another benefit of mindfulness-based meditation is that it relieves negative emotions and cultivates healthier responses without necessitating the supervision of trained professionals (Falsafi, 2016; Parmentier et al., 2019; Fish & Saul, 2019; Flett et al., 2018). Furthermore, mindfulness-based meditation is not time-consuming, as it can typically be completed in as little as 15 minutes a day, and can be done while walking or engaging in basic household tasks (Burgstahler & Stenson, 2019; Cerna et al., 2020; Falsafi, 2016; Hofmann & Gómez, 2017; Owens & Bunce, 2022; Vidic, 2021). Therefore, college students can easily integrate mindfulness-based meditation into their life by utilizing their fragmented time to practice (Burgstahler & Stenson, 2019; Falsafi, 2016; Owens & Bunce, 2022).

References

Barney, L. J., Griffiths, K. M., Jorm, A. F., & Christensen, H. (2006). Stigma about Depression and its Impact on HelpSeeking Intentions. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 51–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/j.14401614.2006.01741.x

Bennike, I. H., Wieghorst, A., & Kirk, U. (2017). Online-based mindfulness training reduces behavioral markers of mind wandering. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 1(2), 172–181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-017-0020-9

Bluth, K., & Blanton, P. W. (2013). Mindfulness and selfcompassion: Exploring pathways to adolescent emotional well-being. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23(7), 1298–1309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9830-2

Bóo, S. J. M., Childs-Fegredo, J., Cooney, S., Datta, B., Dufour, G., Jones, P. B., & Galante, J. (2020). A follow‐up study to a randomised control trial to investigate the perceived impact of mindfulness on academic performance in university students. Counseling and Psychotherapy Research, 20(2), 286–301. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12282

Bostock, S., Crosswell, A. D., Prather, A. A., & Steptoe, A. (2019). Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(1), 127–138. https:// doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000118

Burg, J. M., & Michalak, J. (2010). The healthy quality of mindful breathing: Associations with rumination and depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 35(2), 179–185. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s10608-010-9343-x

Burgstahler, M. S., & Stenson, M. C. (2019). Effects of guided mindfulness meditation on anxiety and stress in a prehealthcare college student population: a pilot study. Journal of American College Health, 68(6), 666–672. https://doi.org /10.1080/07448481.2019.1590371

Cerna, C., García, F. E., & Téllez, A. (2019). Brief mindfulness, mental health, and cognitive processes: A randomized controlled trial. PsyCh Journal, 9(3), 359–369. https://doi. org/10.1002/pchj.325

Conway, A. R. A., Kane, M. J., & Engle, R. W. (2003). Working memory capacity and its relation to general intelligence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7(12), 547–552. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.tics.2003.10.005

Crowley, C., Kapitula, L. R., & Munk, D. (2020). Mindfulness, happiness, and anxiety in a sample of college students before and after taking a meditation course. Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 493–500. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/07448481.2020.1754839

Crowley, C., & Munk, D. (2017). An examination of the impact of a college level meditation course on college student wellbeing. College Student Journal, 51(1), 91–98. https://eric. ed.gov/?id=EJ1132231

Deng, Y. Q., Li, S., & Tang, Y. Y. (2012). The relationship between wandering mind, depression and mindfulness. Mindfulness, 5(2), 124–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0157-7

Desrosiers, A., Vine, V., Klemanski, D. H., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S.

(2013). Mindfulness and emotion regulation in depression and anxiety: Common and distinct mechanisms of action. Depression and Anxiety, 30(7), 654–661. https://doi. org/10.1002/da.22124

Diedrich, A., Burger, J., Kirchner, M., & Berking, M. (2016). Adaptive emotion regulation mediates the relationship between self-compassion and depression in individuals with unipolar depression. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 90(3), 247–263. https://doi. org/10.1111/papt.12107

Dutta, M. J., Jin, L., & Collins, W. J. (2018). College life is stressful today – Emerging stressors and depressive symptoms in college students. Journal of American College Health, 66(7), 655–664. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1451869

Dvořáková, K., Kishida, M., Li, J., Elavsky, S., Broderick, P. A., Agrusti, M. R., & Greenberg, M. T. (2017b). Promoting healthy transition to college through mindfulness training with first-year college students: Pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health, 65(4), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2017.1278605

Edenfield, T. M., & Saeed, S. A. (2012). An update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depression. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 131. https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s34937

Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J., Speer, N. K., & Zivin, K. (2011). Mental health service utilization among college students in the United States. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199(5), 301–308. https://doi.org/10.1097/ nmd.0b013e3182175123

Falsafi, N. (2016). A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness versus yoga. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 22(6), 483–497. https://doi. org/10.1177/1078390316663307

Fish, M. T., & Saul, A. D. (2019). The gamification of meditation: A randomized-controlled study of a prescribed mobile mindfulness meditation application in reducing college students’ depression. Simulation & Gaming, 50(4), 419–435. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878119851821

Flett, J. A. M., Hayne, H., Riordan, B. C., Thompson, L. M., & Conner, T. S. (2018). Mobile mindfulness meditation: A randomized controlled trial of the effect of two popular apps on mental health. Mindfulness, 10(5), 863–876. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-1050-9

Gallego, J., Aguilar-Parra, J. M., Cangas, A. J., Langer, L. I., & Mañas, I. (2014). Effect of a mindfulness program on stress, anxiety and depression in university students. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 17. https://doi.org/10.1017/ sjp.2014.102

Garland, E. L., Hanley, A., Farb, N. A., & Froeliger, B. (2015). State mindfulness during meditation predicts enhanced cognitive reappraisal. Mindfulness, 6(2), 234–242. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0250-6 prevalence from 2015 to 2020: The widening treatment gap. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 63(5), 726–733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2022.05.014

Hofmann, S. G., & Gómez, A. F. (2017). Mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety and depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 40(4), 739–749. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008

Holland, D. L., & Wheeler, H. (2016). College Student Stress and Mental Health: Examination of Stigmatic Views on Mental Health Counseling. Michigan Sociological Review, 30, 16.

Huberty, J., Green, J., Glissmann, C., Larkey, L., Puzia, M. E., & Lee, C. S. (2019). Efficacy of the mindfulness meditation mobile App “Calm” to reduce stress among college students: randomized controlled trial. Jmir Mhealth and Uhealth, 7(6). https://doi.org/10.2196/14273

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context: Past, Present, and Future. Clinical PsychologyScience and Practice, 10(2), 144–156. https://doi. org/10.1093/clipsy/bpg016

Kabat-Zinn, J., Massion, A. O., Kristeller, J. L., Peterson, L. R., Fletcher, K. E., Pbert, L., Lenderking, W. R., & Santorelli, S. F. (1992a). Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 149(7), 936–943. https:// doi.org/10.1176/ajp.149.7.936

Kerrigan, D., Chau, V., King, M. A., Holman, E. S., Joffe, A., & Sibinga, E. M. (2017). There is no performance, there is just this moment: The role of mindfulness instruction in promoting health and well-being among students at a highlyranked University in the United States. Journal of EvidenceBased Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 22(4), 909–918. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587217719787

Klinger, E. (2013). Goal commitments and the content of thoughts and dreams: basic principles. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 415.

Kropp, A., & Sedlmeier, P. (2019). What makes mindfulnessbased interventions effective? An examination of common components. Mindfulness, 10(10), 2060–2072. https://doi. org/10.1007/s12671-019-01167-x

Lattie, E. G., Lipson, S. K., & Eisenberg, D. (2019). Technology and college student mental health: Challenges and opportunities. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi. org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00246

Lin, J., & Mai, L. J. (2018). Impact of mindfulness meditation intervention on academic performance. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 55(3), 366–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2016.1231617

Lo, C. S. L., Ho, S. B., & Hollon, S. D. (2010). The effects of rumination and depressive symptoms on the prediction of negative attributional style among college students. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 34(2), 116–123. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s10608-009-9233-2 mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speakingof-health/college-students-and-depression#:~:text=A%20 recent%20study%20found%20that,identification%20 and%20treatment%20of%20depression.

Mayo Clinic. (2022a, December 7). College students and depression: A guide for parents. https://www.

Marsh, C. N., & Wilcoxon, S. A. (2015). Underutilization of mental health services among college students: An examination of system-related barriers. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 29(3), 227–243. https://doi.org/10. 1080/87568225.2015.1045783

Mihăilescu, A., Diaconescu, L., Ciobanu, A. A., Donisan, T., & Mihailescu, C. (2016). The impact of anxiety and depression on academic performance in undergraduate medical students. European Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. eurpsy.2016.01.761

Mowbray, C. T., Megivern, D., Mandiberg, J. M., Strauss, S., Stein, C. M., Collins, K. A., Kopels, S., Curlin, C., & Lett, R. W. (2006). Campus mental health services: Recommendations for change. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(2), 226–237. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.76.2.226

Mrazek, M. D., Franklin, M. S., Phillips, D. T., Baird, B., & Schooler, J. W. (2013). Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity and GRE performance while reducing mind wandering. Psychological Science, 24(5), 776–781. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612459659

Owens, M., & Bunce, H. L. I. (2022). Nature-based meditation, rumination and mental wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9118. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159118

Parmentier, F. B. R., García-Toro, M., García-Campayo, J., Yañez, A. M., Andrés, P., & Gili, M. (2019). Mindfulness and symptoms of depression and anxiety in the general population: The mediating roles of worry, rumination, reappraisal and suppression. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00506

Pompeo-Fargnoli, A. (2020). Mental health stigma among college students: misperceptions of perceived and personal stigmas. Journal of American College Health, 70(4), 1030–1039. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1784904

Quach, D., Mano, K. E. J., & Alexander, K. (2016). A randomized controlled trial examining the effect of mindfulness meditation on working memory capacity in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 58(5), 489–496. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.09.024

Rahl, H. A., Lindsay, E. K., Pacilio, L. E., Brown, K. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Brief mindfulness meditation training reduces mind wandering: The critical role of acceptance. Emotion, 17(2), 224–230. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000250

Salzer, M. S. (2012). A comparative study of campus experiences of college students with mental illnesses versus a general college sample. Journal of American College Health, 60(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2011.552537

Schulenberg, J. E., Sameroff, A. J., & Cicchetti, D. (2004). The transition to adulthood as a critical juncture in the course of psychopathology and mental health. Development and Psychopathology, 16(04). https://doi.org/10.1017/ s0954579404040015

Shahar, B., Britton, W. B., Sbarra, D. A., Figueredo, A. J., & Bootzin, R. R. (2010). Mechanisms of change in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: Preliminary evidence from a randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 3(4), 402–418. https://doi.org/10.1521/ijct.2010.3.4.402

Shearer, A., Hunt, M., Chowdhury, M., & Nicol, L. (2016). Effects of a brief mindfulness meditation intervention on student stress and heart rate variability. International Journal of Stress Management, 23(2), 232–254. https://doi. org/10.1037/a0039814

Stothart, C., Mitchum, A., & Yehnert, C. (2015). The attentional cost of receiving a cell phone notification. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 41(4), 893–897. https://doi.org/10.1037/ xhp0000100

Sumuer, E., & Kasikci, D. (2022). The role of smartphones in college students’ mind-wandering during learning. Computers & Education, 190, 104616. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104616

Tadese, M., Yeshaneh, A., & Mulu, G. B. (2022). Determinants of good academic performance among university students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 395. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03461-0 v8i2.18128

Tentama, F., & Abdillah, M. H. (2019). Student employability examined from academic achievement and self-concept. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 8(2), 243. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.

Tjia, J., Givens, J. L., & Shea, J. A. (2005). Factors associated with undertreatment of medical student depression. Journal of American College Health, 53(5), 219–224. https://doi. org/10.3200/jach.53.5.219-224

Unsworth, N., & McMillan, B. D. (2017). Attentional disengagements in educational contexts: A diary investigation of everyday mind-wandering and distraction. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-017-0070-7

Van Dam, N. T., Hobkirk, A. L., Sheppard, S. C., Aviles-Andrews, R., & Earleywine, M. (2013). How does mindfulness reduce anxiety, depression, and stress? An exploratory examination of change processes in wait-list controlled mindfulness meditation training. Mindfulness, 5(5), 574–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0229-

Vidic, Z. (2021). Multi-year investigation of a relaxation course with a mindfulness meditation component on college students’ stress, resilience, coping and mindfulness. Journal of American College Health, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/0

7448481.2021.1987918

Wammes, J. D., Seli, P., Cheyne, J. A., Boucher, P., & Smilek, D. (2016). Mind wandering during lectures II: Relation to academic performance. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 2(1), 33–48. https://doi. org/10.1037/stl0000055

Wang, Y., Xu, W., Zhuang, C., & Liu, X. (2017). Does mind wandering mediate the association between mindfulness and negative mood? A preliminary study. Psychological Reports, 120(1), 118–129. https://doi. org/10.1177/0033294116686036

Youngs, M. A., Lee, S. E., Mireku, M. O., Sharma, D., & Kramer, R. S. S. (2021). Mindfulness meditation improves visual short-term memory. Psychological Reports, 124(4), 1673–1686. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120926670