Join the Mind & Life Institute online for two special free Livestream events from Dharamsala, India. On October 30th and November 1st, we will host two unique conversations between Pumla Goboda-Madikizela, David Sloan Wilson, and the Dalai Lama. Livestream video replays are available.
Topic Archives:
Exploring the uptake and potential efficacy of brief mindfulness meditation for underserved female tobacco smokers
Mindfulness is associated with positive psychosocial, physical and mental health outcomes prompting research to investigate mindfulness as a tool for smoking cessation. However, there remains sparse evidence on the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in underserved populations, such as low-income, female smokers, who often have elevated levels of daily stress and greater barriers to …
Cultivating mindful schools to promote an equitable climate of learning
Despite decades of school reform, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disproportionality in student academic opportunities and discipline continues to be a significant concern throughout the education system. The University of Southern California (USC), the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), and Mindful Schools (MS) are collaborating on bringing mindfulness training to K-5 teachers/staff to foster an …
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VOICES: Vocalizing Oppression and Interconnection in Contemplation and Embodiment Spaces
We propose a research study that partners with community leaders to give a platform to racial/ethnic minorities to speak about their experience with contemplative and healing practices such as meditation, prayer, movement, storytelling, and others. This will be community-based participatory qualitative research and is motivated by 1) the underrepresentation of racial/ethnic minority people in existing …
Mindfulness for the masses: Understanding the approachability of mindfulness-based interventions and measurement of mindfulness among understudied diverse communities
Evidence for the therapeutic effects of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been demonstrated primarily in high-socioeconomic, White samples. The under-representation of socioeconomically and racially and ethnically diverse samples in MBI studies has raised questions about the approachability and cultural relevancy of MBIs for these communities. Further, among the few studies that have included diverse samples, scores …
Motivating engagement with social justice issues through compassion training: A multi-method randomized control trial
Working towards social justice necessitates dominant group members’ willingness to share the feelings of oppressed outgroup members (outgroup empathy) and to engage in difficult intergroup dialogue. Nevertheless, empathic and behavioral engagement is especially avoided in social justice contexts due to the high demands/costs of such engagement. It is, however, possible to offset high demands and …
The role of Contemplative Art Education in social, emotional, and cognitive development of children with low SES
Contemplative Art Education (CAE), established in 2012 by the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), seeks to enhance experiences with the arts using innovative models of engagement. CAE is a skill-based, experiential, constructivist education approach that involves: conversational tours, mindful practices, and art-making activities. What makes CAE unique is that it encourages viewers to …
Is mindfulness only for the fortunate? The development and dissemination of a brief home-based mindfulness intervention to low-income couples
Minority and low-income couples tend to experience greater individual and relational stress compared to higher income and/or White couples, which is likely due to the unique challenges these populations face. Given that previous studies indicate mindfulness reduces both individual and relationship stress, it may be a particularly useful tool for these underserved populations. Unfortunately, low-income …
A community-engaged approach to contemplative neuroscience in a diverse contemplative community
We are working to increase diversity within neuroscience of meditation studies to reflect the increasingly diverse population of the United States and to improve representation of minorities. We are using community engagement and dialogue with the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland, CA, one of the most diverse meditation communities in the U.S. EBMC …
Bridging the empathy gap: Effects of brief mindfulness training on helping outgroup members in need
When humans witness others in need, we empathize with them and often help them. It is well documented that empathy occurs automatically, but when those in need are not members of a social ingroup, empathy and helping are often lower. One major social division in America and in other countries is based on race. Although …
