Mindfulness and Human Development: A Commentary on the Special Issue

Abstract

The articles in this special issue focus on the putative effects of mindfulness training on aspects of attention, emotion, and interpersonal behavior in children, adolescents, and educators. In this commentary, I situate these articles within an emerging, interdisciplinary study of the mind/body system and its prospects for transformation across the lifespan through mental training and neuroplasticity called the “Contemplative Science Project” (CSP). After describing the nature of the CSP—its aims, assumptive framework, phenomena of interest and methods—I highlight features and findings of these articles that, collectively, enrich the scope of the CSP through a focus on human development.