Mindfulness Practices And Learning Economics

That is the title of an article by David R. Borker who teaches at Manhattanville College. It was published in the American Journal of Business Education in 2013. Click here to find out more about it and a link to a pdf file of the entire article. Here is the abstract:

"There is a growing interest among educators in teaching and learning practices based on mindfulness, a concept derived from eastern meditative traditions.  This paper describes how mindfulness practices and concepts can be used to enhance the student’s learning experience in beginning economics courses. Specific areas with a high potential for learning enhancement are identified: grasping abstract economic concepts, seeing beyond obvious economic consequences, and finding one’s own ethical framework in economic analysis.  Current research linking mindfulness practices to student development in these areas is examined and practical methods are offered to integrate mindfulness into the economics classroom."

Full disclosure: A post from this blog in 2006 gets mentioned in the paper. It was Good Economics is Good Story Telling.

Update 1-19-14: The NY Times has an article on mindfulness, meditation and their effect on cognitive ability and creativity. It may help cognition but hinder creativity. Click here to read it