Happiness can be cultivated. Incorporate mindfulness into your daily life

Modern neuroscience shows that regularly practicing mindfulness gradually transforms the structure and function of the brain and can lead to lasting happiness. You don’t have to sit in the lotus position or meditate for hours on end. You can start with just 3 minutes a day during everyday activities, such as brushing your teeth, commuting to work, or walking.

While positive psychology uses various research methodologies based on subjective experience of wellbeing - such as life satisfaction, gratitude, calm - it is impressive that modern neuroscience can objectively measure happiness or wellbeing. Modern brain imaging techniques have revealed clear changes in neural wiring and activation of certain parts of the brain associated with positive states. So while some people - both the general public and scientific community - might be arguing that subjective measures don’t represent hard evidence or that positive psychology might seem esoteric, the biological markers presented by neuroscience strongly support the understanding and benefits of wellbeing practices. 

Mindfulness is one of the main pillars of the PERMA model brought by Martin Selingman:

Positive emotions - Engagement - Relationships - Mindfulness - Achievement

Mindfulness is one of the practices that has been measured by neuroscientists for several decades. While the simple definition of mindfulness is “being present”, there is much more to it. Being mindful means we choose to focus our attention on the present moment and observe what’s happening around us and within us with curiosity and kindness. Our minds are programmed to judge everything, but mindfulness helps us observe our thoughts, emotions and events around us without judgement, with a neutral and kind view. It teaches us to step away and not get caught into the judgmental thought processes that often lead to stress and anxiety. When we learn how to do that we can improve our health, wellbeing and relationships in an extraordinary way. 

In his TED talk called “How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains” renowned neuroscientist Richard J. Davidson introduces four main challenges that today’s society faces:

1. Distractability - Davidson mentions that based on research about 47% of time most Americans are not paying attention to what they are doing.

2. Loneliness - about 76% of middle-age Americans report high levels of loneliness.

3. Negative self-talk & depression - depression rates including suiside rates rose significantly in the last 15 years both in adults and teens.

4. Loss of meaning and purpose in life - research shows that lack of purpose predicts early death.

   
   

Davidson further suggests four pillars of healthy mind based on his extensive research:

1. Awareness

2. Connection

3. Insight

4. Purpose

   
   

He explores how practicing mindfulness can strengthen these four pillars. We can intentionally reshape the brain’s emotional circuitry to foster sustainable wellbeing. He highlights that through practices like focused attention and loving‑kindness meditation, individuals can strengthen neural pathways involved in meta-awareness (monitoring one’s mental processes), emotional regulation (reducing amygdala reactivity), and social connection (enhancing empathy and kindness). Regular mindfulness practice, which is really a form of mental training, gradually transforms both brain structure and function and it can lead to lasting happiness. We can start just by 3 min every day during our daily activities like brushing our teeth, commuting to work or walking.

Dr. Shauna Shapiro in her video called “The science of meaningful life” talks about the so-called “happiness set point”. In the past scientists believed that any external positive or negative event in our lives (like winning a lottery or having an accident) would take us temporarily either into a happier or less happy state, but after a while we would bounce back to the original set point. That is good news for someone who is born an optimist, but not great for a pessimist. But with modern neuroscience we know that brain structures can change, so we can change our happiness set point. Shapiro shares brain imaging pictures from researchers from Harvard University showing that people who practice mindfulness have increased grey matter areas associated with attention, learning, self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and compassion. And the cortical thickening is correlated with practice. 

 What we practice becomes stronger. 

Mindfulness expert, Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn in the “Mindfulness documentary film” compares mindfulness practice to strengthening of the biceps in the gym. You need to lift weights regularly to build a strong biceps. Or if you are a runner, you know that you need to train regularly if you want to run a marathon. And the same is true for rewiring the brain. 

So how do we lift the weights of the brain? What is the mental training that helps people be more present, more mindful and happier?

We can practice “formal mindfulness meditation” exercises like focusing on the breath or body sensations or bringing awareness to the sounds around us. That’s the lifting in the gym. And then there is the “informal practice” where we bring mindful awareness to our everyday lives. We can brush our teeth or wash the dishes mindfully. We have mindful conversations with our colleagues and loved ones where we are really fully present. The more we do the formal practice the more automatic the daily mindful living becomes.

Here is an example of a formal mindfulness practice called “Feet on Floor, Bum on Chair”. This particular script is retrieved from a Mindfulness and Resilience toolkit for young people from the European Project “BENEFIT”. Our team from SEMwell contributed to that project and particularly to the Mindfulness content. 

Step 1: Bring your attention to your feet. 

You can close your eyes or leave them open. As you sit here, begin by bringing your attention to your feet. Really tuning into the sensation of your feet as they touch the floor… noticing what that feels like… which parts of the soles of your feet are in contact with the floor and which are not…exploring and investigating these sensations with patience, kindness and curiosity.

Step 2: Explore your legs. 

Now, including all the sensations of your feet, notice what it's like to be wearing socks and shoes (if you are!). Feeling now the weight and texture of your legs… the lower halves… and the upper halves… letting yourself explore what legs feel like from the inside…

Step 3: Anchor your awareness in the lower half of your body. 

And now expanding your awareness to include all the sensations of the lower half of thebody… it's almost as if you're listening to the lower half of the body… receiving all its textures as they change moment by moment… Feet on the floor, bum on the chair… anchoring your awareness in the lower half of your body…

Step 4: Notice your breath. 

And then feeling the sensation of breathing in your awareness. Letting yourself be refreshed and nourished by your in-breathing and allowing yourself really to relax as you breathe out.

Step 5: Finally, notice how doing this exercise has affected the state of your mind…

Do you notice it having any calming effect? And then, when you are ready, gently allow your eyes to open.

Author: Jana Kyriakou

Sources:

Richard J. Davidson, TEDx Talk, How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CBfCW67xT8

Dr. Shauna Shapiro, The science of meaningful life

Mindfulness Documentary Film, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgkC9x7fFYQ