In today’s world problems of low attention span, impulsivity and hyperactivity are affecting 2-7 % of children, with India reporting a higher than global estimates at 11%. Disturbances in regulating attention is believed to have a detrimental effect SEL competencies. Traditionally, the educational setups of ancient India were located in natural surroundings. Contemplative practices, and …
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Assessing the Implementation of Integrated Mindfulness Programs in Schools: Case Study Evaluation of the Mindfulness Director Initiative
The Mindfulness Director Initiative, founded in 2019, is placing Mindfulness Directors in five schools across the US in Fall 2020, providing an ideal research opportunity to evaluate the implementation process of school-wide mindfulness programming delivered by a resident Mindfulness Director. The five participating schools include two middle schools, two high schools and a university community, …
A Whole Trait Theory Account of Mindfulness in Adolescence
Parallel streams of research show that adolescents’ social ecologies and contemplative practices both play roles in the development of trait mindfulness, but these lines of inquiry rarely intersect or enrich one another. This project draws from whole trait theory to propose and test a framework that bridges these two streams by offering a broad account …
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Creation of a performance-based measure of compassion for use with children
Compassion is a complex skill involving both psychological (invisible) components and behavioral (visible) manifestations. In a new generation of Social-Emotional Learning programs that target compassion like Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning (SEE LearningTM), these skills are hypothesized to both develop naturally and to be cultivated intentionally through enrichment efforts. The challenge is that few developmentally …
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International Society for Contemplative Research
In the last twenty years, a sharp increase in contemplative research has created the need for an academic home for interdisciplinary scholarship, community, dialogue, and collaboration. This special Think Tank grant goes to a multidisciplinary group of leading contemplative researchers to begin the development of a new professional society for the field. This is a …
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Student Flourishing Initiative: Building Resiliency Among College Students
One in five college students reports declining mental health as a result of the COVID pandemic. This is on top of a recent generational rise in rates of anxiety and depression among college-aged youth. Could a unique course that blends academic and experiential learning help prepare first-year students for the stressors that lie ahead during …
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Cultivating Compassion in Healthcare: One Researcher’s Journey
In the midst of the COVID pandemic, health care is in the news daily. But there’s an often-overlooked element in many hospital systems: the role of chaplains. For patients experiencing loneliness, isolation, fear, and physical pain, chaplains offer much needed emotional support, spiritual guidance, and hope. But could chaplains and the patients they support also …
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Cultivating Pro-Sociality at a Time of Unprecedented Change
Held against the backdrop of a global pandemic and worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, Mind & Life’s 17th annual Summer Research Institute (SRI) offered participants in 22 countries a unique opportunity to reflect on recent events and their roles in contributing to individual and societal healing. “This is a critical moment in …
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School-Based Promotion of Children’s Empathy, Kindness, and Altruism: Emerging Research, Lingering Questions, and Future Directions
There is a growing consensus among psychologists, educators, and the public at large that a more comprehensive vision of education is needed—one that includes an explicit focus on “educating the heart” and intentionally cultivates children’s social and emotional competencies and positive human qualities, including self-regulation, self-awareness, empathy, compassion, and altruism. This explicit and intentional focus …
Developmental Contemplative Science: Framework for the Study of Prosocial Development
The aim of this talk is to provide a brief introduction to Developmental Contemplative Science (DCS), a theoretical framework that leverages insights from recent research on brain and behavioral development and examines how contemplative practices can facilitate the emergence of essential human functions such as reflection, agency, well being, and empathy. On this view, development …
