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Mindfulness has been proven effective in changing behavior, even stubborn addictions. In numerous studies, mindfulness training helped individuals with a range of addictions from alcohol to cocaine to nicotine dependence. In fact, in one clinical trial, mindfulness was twice as good as the most effective historical treatment in helping people quit smoking and not relapse. Why does it work so well? Addictions occur in the brain and have to be addressed there. By putting the PFC in charge, mindfulness targets the core addictive loop and aids people to ride out their cravings instead of acting on them.
In the book, The Craving Mind, psychiatrist and Yale School of Medicine psychology professor Judson Brewer provides proof that mindfulness and meditation can also help identify and counter everyday cravings that lead to bad habits. Mindfulness can help you hack your brain to change your behavior — everything from spending too much time on social media to eating unhealthy food to obsessing over a romantic interest. Brewer’s research showed that one region of the frontal lobe: the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), typically activated during a craving. Mindfulness, meditation, concentration, joy, and wonder decreased PCC activity.
Your brain is capable of changing and learning new patterns at any age. Through neuroplasticity and mindfulness, you can develop skills and change your brain operation for more happiness and better habits and mental health. And you can do it one mindful minute at a time.
