Mindfulness and Other Simple Neuroscience-Based Proposals to Promote the Learning Performance and Mental Health of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tortella, Gonzalo R.; Seabra, Amedea B.; Padrão, Jorge; Díaz-San Juan, Rodrigo

doi:10.3390/brainsci11050552

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Mindfulness and Other Simple Neuroscience-Based Proposals to Promote the Learning Performance and Mental Health of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gonzalo R. Tortella

^1,2,*

Amedea B. Seabra

Jorge Padrão

⁴

and

Rodrigo Díaz-San Juan

⁵

Center of Excellence (CIBAMA-BIOREN), Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile

PhD Program in Natural Resource Sciences, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811230, Chile

Center for Natural and Human Sciences (CCNH), Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Av. dos Estados, 5001-Bangú, Santo André 09210-580, SP, Brazil

⁴

Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T), University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal

⁵

Educational Neurosciences and Psychology Department, Centenario School, Temuco 4810936, Chile

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editors: Ulrich Kirk and Domenico De Berardis

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(5), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050552

Received: 20 February 2021 / Revised: 31 March 2021 / Accepted: 13 April 2021 / Published: 27 April 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Neuroscience of Mindfulness)

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on education. The restrictions imposed have undoubtedly led to impairment of the psychological well-being of both teachers and students, and of the way they experience interpersonal relationships. As reported previously in the literature, adverse effects such as loneliness, anxiety, and stress have resulted in a decrease in the cognitive performance of school and higher education students. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present a general overview of the reported adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which may potentially influence the learning performance of students. Some neuroscientific findings related to memory and cognition, such as neuroplasticity and long-term potentiation, are also shown. We also discuss the positive effects of the practice of mindfulness, as well as other simple recommendations based on neuroscientific findings such as restful sleep, physical activity, and nutrition, which can act on memory and cognition. Finally, we propose some practical recommendations on how to achieve more effective student learning in the context of the pandemic. The aim of this review is to provide some assistance in this changing and uncertain situation in which we all find ourselves, and we hope that some of the information could serve as a starting point for hypotheses to be tested in educational research and their association with neuroscience. View Full-Text

Keywords: COVID-19; mental health; stress; learning; education; neuroscience

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MDPI and ACS Style

Tortella, G.R.; Seabra, A.B.; Padrão, J.; Díaz-San Juan, R. Mindfulness and Other Simple Neuroscience-Based Proposals to Promote the Learning Performance and Mental Health of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Brain Sci. 2021, 11, 552. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050552

AMA Style

Tortella GR, Seabra AB, Padrão J, Díaz-San Juan R. Mindfulness and Other Simple Neuroscience-Based Proposals to Promote the Learning Performance and Mental Health of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Brain Sciences. 2021; 11(5):552. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050552

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tortella, Gonzalo R., Amedea B. Seabra, Jorge Padrão, and Rodrigo Díaz-San Juan. 2021. "Mindfulness and Other Simple Neuroscience-Based Proposals to Promote the Learning Performance and Mental Health of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic" Brain Sciences 11, no. 5: 552. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050552

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Mindfulness and Other Simple Neuroscience-Based Proposals to Promote the Learning Performance and Mental Health of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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