What Is the Meaning of Mindfulness?

Mindfulness, or sampajañña in Pali–one of the major languages of the Buddhist scriptures–means clear comprehension. Its definition aligns with its purpose, to help us see more clearly, respond more effectively to what life throws at us, and ultimately make wiser choices (Shapiro, 2020).

A Look at the Psychology of Mindfulness

Having extensively researched and written about mindfulness and how to conceptualize it, Shauna Shapiro says that “mindfulness isn’t just about paying attention.

It’s about how we pay attention” (Shapiro, 2020, p. 9). Shapiro describes the three vital psychological elements of mindfulness as follows:

• Intention – how we use our heart as our compass, directing and reflecting our most profound hopes and values;
• Attention – training and grounding our mind in the present moment;
• Attitude – paying attention with an attitude of compassion and curiosity.

Psychology shows that mindfulness can help us escape the vicious cycle of negative thinking, allowing us to “step outside the chattering negative self-talk” and our reactive impulses and emotions (Williams & Penman, 2016, p. 30).

After all, while we cannot stop the triggering of unhappy or upsetting memories, judgmental ways of thinking, and the noise of negative self-talk, we can choose what happens next. Mindfulness offers a pause, a reset, and an alternate way of seeing ourselves and our environment by stepping out of ‘doing’ and into ‘being.’

As such, the mind can do more than merely think – it can be aware of its thinking. Such presence–or metacognition–allows us to experience the world more directly and with less bias. We can look at the world with eyes wide open, with positive emotions–such as wonder, awe, and gratitude–that encourage us to enter an upward spiral of positivity (Fredrickson, 2010).

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), research suggests that, despite not being fully understood, the benefits of mindfulness come from its ability to help us “dial down the body’s response to stress” (American Psychological Association, 2019, para. 10).

It seems that by changing activity within regions of the brain associated with attention and emotional regulation, mindfulness lowers our response to stress, driving positive downstream effects throughout the body.

Changing behavior–even when unhealthy or unhelpful–is often tricky, seemingly beyond our conscious control. After all, according to Tang’s research, consciousness is not a requirement of behavior or a precursor towards changing it (Tang, 2018).

Mindfulness offers a solution by unconsciously transforming how we think, feel, and act. Indeed, mindfulness has been shown to help those wishing to reduce or stop smoking and drinking through an improved process of self-awareness of thought patterns, often lacking in those with addictions (Tang, 2018).