Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP17675
Authors: Lea Cassar; Mira Fischer; Vanessa Valero
Abstract: Mindfulness practices are gaining popularity in private and public organizations. In a randomized controlled trial, we examine whether mindfulness training improves the academic performance of university students. The intervention improves mental health and non-cognitive skills. However, it takes time before students' performance can benefit from the training: we find that, if anything, the intervention marginally decreases average grades right after the end of the intervention, whereas it significantly increases academic performance, by about 0.4 standard deviations, six months after.
Keywords: Mindfulness; Mental Health; Education; Meditation; Field Experiment
JEL Codes: I21; C93; I12; I31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Mindfulness training (M53) | Improved mental health and noncognitive skills (I24) |
| Mindfulness training (M53) | Average grades immediately after intervention (I24) |
| Mindfulness training (M53) | Average grades six months post-intervention (I24) |
| Improved mental health and noncognitive skills (I24) | Academic performance (D29) |
| Mindfulness training (M53) | Daily health behaviors and self-care practices (I12) |
| Daily health behaviors and self-care practices (I12) | Academic performance (D29) |
| Continued mindfulness practice (Y80) | Positive effect on academic performance (I24) |