Mindfulness is a pillar of happiness.

Jon Kabat-Zinn defines it as the awareness that arises by paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.

Research from Matt Killingsworth finds that (as the paper is titled) “a wandering mind is an unhappy mind”. Researchers investigated the relationship between a wandering mind and an unhappy mind (or a happy mind). In other words how does mind wandering affect happiness? They found conclusive evidence that across a variety of contexts there is a strong correlation between mind wandering and reduced happiness. Even when the task we are “wandering from” is boring or the thing we’re thinking about it positive, the pattern remains. Being present in whatever you’re doing supports happiness. REFERENCE Matthew A. Killingsworth, Daniel T. Gilbert ,A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind.Science330,932-932(2010).DOI:10.1126/science.1192439

A Wandering Mind in an Unhappy Mind: Mindfulness & Happiness Research

There are additional benefits for mindfulness practice…

• Those who practiced a loving-kindess meditation experienced higher life satisfaction and more positive emotion (Fredrickson et al. 2008).
• Immune system response is more robust for meditators (Davidson et al. 2003).
• Meditators show more telomere activity which is associated with reduced aging and mortality risk (Jacobs et al. 2011).

Developing mindfulness leads to improved attention, more attunement to your feelings and emotional resilience, and positive shifts in thought patterns. “Happiness can be trained because the very structure of our brain can be modified.” — Richie Davidson, Psychologist & Professor