An adolescent's experience shapes their brain and impacts future emotional and cognitive functioning. This study explored the hypotheses that adolescents taught meditation will show improvements in their emotional well-being and cognitive skills. Thirty male and female participants (aged 16 to18) enrolled at Mt. Abraham Union High School in Bristol, VT were assessed on measures of mindfulness, anxiety, mood, and on cognitive tests of verbal fluency, problem solving and attention. Some students underwent a 9 week meditation training while others did not. After training, students were assessed again. The findings may suggest an impact of meditation on emotional measures, but no impact of meditation on cognition was seen. The findings also revealed significant methodological considerations for implementing meditation training in adolescent populations: short, guided meditation trainings will be most successful with a teenage population. When implemented successfully, meditation may help sculpt a healthy emotional brain in adolescents.
