Mindfulness oriented meditation for adults and children: effects on stress and anxiety and links with creativity and psychological well-being

In the last 30 years, mindfulness has become the focus of considerable attention for clinicians and empirical psychology. This attitude can be cultivated through mindfulness meditation (MM), a traditional form of Buddhist meditation where the practitioner tries to be attentive to and fully aware of present moment experience with a gentle and non- judgmental attitude (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). The strong relation between MM and creativity and the positive effects that both exerts on psycho-physical well-being suggest a new research line that could compare the effects of MM with creative activities (creative writing and painting for instance). Further studies could try to create a standardized model of creative activities training to better understand which is the role of personality and mood in MM and creativity, and which is the key component, if there is one, that makes the difference on personal well-being in this comparison.