Can mindfulness meditation improve performance? Evidence from a college classroom
Christina Peters, Katherine M. Sauer
Education Economics April 10, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2025.2484579 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Students in an academic setting |
| Interventions | Guided meditations Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | Students who completed brief guided meditations immediately before exams performed better than a control group, and response analysis suggests this may reflect reduced dependence on heuristics for simplifying complex questions. The authors propose mindfulness meditation as a tool for reducing bias in decision-making. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT We conducted a randomized experiment in an academic setting to test two research questions: first, does participating in guided meditations improve student performance? Second, does mindfulness meditation reduce reliance on mental heuristics? Our results document that students who are asked to complete brief meditations immediately before exams perform better compared to students in a control group. Moreover, detailed analysis of exam responses suggests their improved performance may result from less dependence on heuristics to simplify complex questions. Our research thus proposes mindfulness meditation as a tool for educators, individuals, and policymakers to use in efforts to reduce bias in decision-making.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Debiasing the Mind Through Meditation Psychological Science December 6, 2013
- Toward the Integration of Meditation into Higher Education: A Review of Research Evidence Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education March 1, 2011
- Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density Psychiatry Research November 10, 2010
and 2 more in the library