🧠 The Hippocampus Grows in 8 Weeks
An 8-week mindfulness program results in the increase of gray matter density in the left hippocampus which is the area of the brain that is very critical for learning and long-term memory forming.
⚡ Memory Encoding Enhancement
Ten-minute mindfulness sessions have a remarkable effect on verbal learning as they raise the critical first step of memory forming, which is the encoding process.
🎯 Improvement of Working Memory
An eight-week daily practice of mindfulness for thirteen minutes leads to better attention, working memory, and recognition memory than control groups that only listened to podcasts.
🔄 Memory Interference Reduction
Mindfulness training is known to reduce proactive interference which is the case when old memories affect new learning, by giving present-moment awareness and increasing the volume of the hippocampus.
👁️ Visual Short-Term Memory Boost
The memory capacity for faces that can be held for a very short time visually is significantly increased by an eight-minute mindfulness meditation session and thus the immediate cognitive benefit is shown.
📖 Retention of Episodic Memory is Better
It is through mindfulness training that one of the main aspects that the performance in episodic memory is improved is engagement with the task that results in the increase of intrinsic motivation and less negative affect during learning.
🧘 The Brain's Structural Plasticity
Mindfulness is one of the ways that one could map out the monumental structural changes that occur in through the memory-related areas of the brain such as the posterior cingulate cortex and temporo-parietal junction as well as the hippocampus.