给孩子的礼物，终于上线了。Will 正念大叔系列专注的意识

It’s long been known that Mindfulness helps children feel calmer, but new research is helping quantify its benefits for elementary school-age children. A 2015 study found that fourth- and fifth-grade students who participated in a four-month Mindfulness program showed improvements in executive functions like cognitive control, working memory, cognitive flexibility — and better math grades. A study published recently in the journal Mindfulness found similar improvements in mathematics in fifth graders with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And a study of elementary school children in Korea showed that eight weeks of meditation lowered aggression, social anxiety and stress levels.

人们早就知道正念可以让孩子们感觉更平静，但一项新的研究正在帮助量化正念练习对小学生的益处。2015年的一项研究发现，参加了一个为期四个月的正念项目的四年级和五年级学生在认知控制、工作记忆、认知灵活性等执行功能方面有所改善，数学成绩也有所提高。最近发表在《正念》(Mindfulness)杂志上的一项研究发现，患有注意力缺陷多动障碍(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)的五年级学生在数学方面也有类似的进步。一项对韩国小学生的研究显示，八周的正念可以降低攻击性、社交焦虑和压力水平。

These investigations, along with a review published in March that combed the developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience literature, illustrate how Mindfulness practices have the potential to actually change the structure and function of the brain in ways that foster academic success.

这些调查，以及3月份发表的一篇梳理了发展心理学和认知神经科学文献的综述，都说明了正念练习是如何有可能改变大脑的结构和功能，从而促进学术上的成功。

Fundamental principles of neuroscience suggest that Mindfulness can have its greatest impact on cognition when the brain is in its earliest stages of development.

神经科学的基本原理表明，当大脑处于发育的最初阶段时，正念对认知能力的影响最大。

This is because the brain develops connections in prefrontal circuits at its fastest rate in childhood. It is this extra plasticity that creates the potential for Mindfulness to have greaterimpact on executive functioning in children. Although meditation benefit adults more in terms of stress reduction or physical rejuvenation etc, its lasting effects on things like sustained attention and cognitive control are significant。

这是因为大脑在儿童时期以最快的速度发展前额叶回路的连接。正是这种额外的可塑性，创造了正念对儿童执行功能产生更大影响的潜力。虽然正念对成年人在减轻压力或身体恢复活力方面等更有好处，但它对持续注意力和认知控制等方面的持久影响是显著的。

A clinical study published in 2011 in The Journal of Child and Family Studies demonstrates this concept superbly. The research design allowed adults and children to be compared directly since they were enrolled in the same mindfulness meditation program and assessed identically. Children between 8 and 12 who had A.D.H.D. diagnoses, along with parents, were enrolled in an eight-week mindfulness-trainingprogram. The results showed that mindfulness meditation significantly improved attention and impulse control in both groups, but the improvements were considerably more robust in the children.

2011年发表在《儿童与家庭研究杂志》(Journal of Child and Family Studies)上的一项临床研究有力地证明了这一概念。这项研究设计允许成人和儿童直接进行比较，因为他们参加了相同的正念冥想项目，并进行了相同的评估。被诊断为adhd的8至12岁儿童和他们的父母一起参加了一个为期八周的正念训练项目。结果表明，正念冥想显著地改善了两组儿童的注意力和冲动控制，但儿童的改善更为明显。

Outside of the lab, many parents report on the benefits of early mindfulness practice. Heather Maurer of Vienna, Va., who was trained in mindfulness practice, leads her 9-year-old daughter, Daisy, through various visualization techniques and focused breathing exercises three nights a week, and says her daughter has become noticeably better at self-regulating her emotions, a sign of improved cognitive control. “When Daisy is upset, she will sit herself down and concentrate on her breathing until she is refocused,” Ms. Maurer said.

在实验室之外，许多家长报告了早期正念练习的好处。来自弗吉尼亚州维也纳的希瑟•毛雷尔(Heather Maurer)曾接受过正念训练，她带着9岁的女儿黛西(Daisy)，通过各种可视化技术和每周三晚的集中呼吸练习，她说女儿的自我情绪调节能力明显提高了，这是认知控制能力提高的一个迹象。“黛西不开心的时候，她会坐下来，专注于自己的呼吸，直到她重新集中注意力，”毛雷尔说。

Amanda Simmons, a mother who runs her own mindfulness studio in Los Angeles, has seen similar improvements in her 11-year-old son, Jacob, who is on the autism spectrum. Jacob also has A.D.H.D. and bipolar disorder, but Ms. Simmons said many of his symptoms have diminished since he began daily mindfulness meditation six months ago. “The mindfulness seems to act like a ‘hard reboot’ for his brain, almost instantly resolving mood swings or lessening anger,” Ms. Simmons said. She believes it has enabled him to take a lower dose of Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug used to treat bipolar disorder.

阿曼达•西蒙斯(Amanda Simmons)是一位母亲，在洛杉矶经营着自己的正念工作室。雅各布还患有注意力缺陷多动症和躁郁症，西蒙斯说，自从六个月前开始每天正念冥想以来，他的许多症状已经减轻。西蒙斯说:“正念对他的大脑来说就像是‘硬启动’，几乎能立即解决情绪波动或减少愤怒。”她认为这使他能够服用更小剂量的利培酮，一种用于治疗双相情感障碍的抗精神病药物。

Whether children are on mindfulness or not, mindfulness can help instill self-control and an ability to focus. Perhaps encouraging mindfulness and mind-body practices will come to be recognized as being as essential to smart parenting as teaching your child to work hard, eat healthfully and exercise regularly.

不管孩子们是否正念，正念都有助于培养自我控制和集中注意力的能力。鼓励正念练习和身心练习将被认为是与教导孩子努力工作、健康饮食和定期锻炼一样重要的智慧育儿方式。

转发自：New York Time  纽约时报文章：

The Mindful Child正念的孩子