Is it possible to sum up the findings of the science behind mindfulness in a sentence or two?

I think I’m really bad at being mindful and living in the present. 🙂

Mindfulness helps you manage your thoughts and your reaction to them, including unproductive thoughts. Mindfulness changes the brain, impacting the amygdala (the fear centre). It's a region of the brain that is primarily associated with emotional processes. Studies show that this region becomes smaller and less active, in the form of less grey matter on brain scans, following mindfulness sessions. Research has also studied the effects of long term mindfulness practitioners and found that their amygdala is significantly smaller than the average person. The hippocampus also plays a role in mindfulness. The hippocampus, the region of the brain associated with memory, helps regulate the amygdala. Following mindfulness training, this part of the brain was also found to be more active.

Okay that was longer than a sentence but to sum up mindfulness contributes to positive changes to your brain's neuroplasticity (which are actually very real substantive changes — in that they can be seen using brain scans!). It's pretty neat actually!

#2: Wow, making parts of the brain smaller and less active sounds a little scary, even if it’s the center of fear. 😬

Thanks for the summary! It gave me a different perspective on mindfulness.

I think it is powerful to know that the average person actually has control over their brain's inner workings. Medication certainly helps, but I think a lot of people with anxiety, depression, chronic pain don't understand that they can actually make real change.

#4: That said, I know there are illnesses that require other treatments.