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Issue No. 5: The Skeptics Guide To Mindfulness
Scientific deep dive into the power of your mind
New Zapiens
December 21, 2023
Happy Thursday Zapien 👋
Should you mind taking a few minutes every day to be fully present?
Mindfulness has been touted as the new, old miracle cure for being healthy now and forever. Join us this week to find out what's behind it.
LONGEVITY BEAT
This week, Lisa set out to explore mindfulness, which we think is an important topic during the stressful holiday season.
Truth be told, she's a bit of a mindfulness skeptic, but for you, she spent 3 days combing through scientific databases to find out what's true and what's a bit of wishful thinking.
Read the full story here:
TL;DR
• Mindfulness research has boomed in the last years, but it's challenging.
• The scientific evidence is less clear than you might expect from reading various longevity blogs.
• The benefits extend to mental, physical and social health. In some areas, such as anxiety and depression, the evidence is very strong; in others, there's more work to be done.
• Overall, even though the research quality is mixed, mindfulness is a compelling concept with low barriers, so we suggest to give it a try!
SHORT HACK, LONG LIFE
Breathing is so natural to us that we underestimate the powerful effects of conscious breathing techniques. A 2023 study co-authored by Andrew Huberman found that 5-min daily breath work can be more effective for stress management than mindfulness meditation.
Here’s a very simple method to calm down in your daily struggles. It’s called Box Breathing.
How To Box Breathe:
1. Inhale for 4 seconds
2. Hold for 4 seconds
3. Exhale for 4 seconds
4. Hold for 4 seconds
→ Repeat for at least 6 rounds
Find more breathing hacks with short video instructions here.
On a final note: Breathe through your nose if you can. “Mouth-breathers” have been insulted since at least 1915. There are serious negative health effects. Yet, before you tape your mouth at night - it’s likely not the solution.
RECOMMENDED
The Waking Up App
Price:
$20/month or $120/year, scholarships available
(Tip: Start subscription via webpage, never in the app store - it will save you lots of $)
Time invest:
10 min per day (minimum) to unlimited
What you get:
• 4-week intro to Mindfulness: A guide to implement daily meditations
• Fresh, daily, guided meditations
• 1000+ hours of spoken content on theory of meditation, mindfulness & beyond, practice sessions of different types of meditations, self-help sections, conversations and Q&A sessions
A few weeks ago, we asked our New Zapiens community about their favorite mindfulness products. The Waking Up app by neuroscientist and bestselling author Sam Harris was one of the most popular.
New Zapien Oliver, a long-time Waking Up user, spoke with us about his experience:
Why did you choose the app?
Since this is an audio-driven product, I tried a number of apps to find the right "voice" for daily meditation. I found the most pleasing in Sam Harris and his app.
I love the integration of theory and the endless stream of new content beyond the guided meditations.
The app takes a holistic view with an ever-growing library. I started using the app years ago, and it has grown significantly in value since then.
How has it helped you?
I am able to be more present in many moments and observe myself in stressful everyday situations while listening to some of the most inspiring people on the app.
What could be better?
The sheer amount of content can be overwhelming at first, almost causing a state of FOMO. Which, funnily enough, could be the first test of whether you have incorporated the concepts of mindfulness.
Every piece of information and every gold nugget in the app will be found at the right time. Focusing on it now and then, without thinking about all the other content waiting for you, is the key.
HEALTH & LONGEVITY NEWS
Does or doesn’t physical exercise help prevent cognitive decline? A new meta-analysis says it does, but your age and the type of exercise matters.
Twin Health raises $50 million to tackle metabolic disease. The company leverages digital twin technology, which uses AI to create dynamic digital models of its users' metabolism.
Google announced MedLM, a whole bunch of new healthcare-specific-artificial intelligence models.
ZAPIEN OF THE WEEK
Oliver (Germany)
What are you currently optimizing?
My anatomy, a desk job and a muscle injury in 2018 have negatively affected my hip mobility. I’m actively working on fixing this. Since I do CrossFit, the impact on my sport and beyond is significant.
What’s your favourite tool?
Nothing fancy, really. Established stretching routines (static and dynamic) yield strong results. I have added bodyweight strengthening exercises to the routines, as mobility issues often lead to muscle weakness in the affected areas.
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BECAUSE WE LOVE NUMBERS
⚡️ 46.9% ⚡️
Of people's waking hours are spent mind-wandering (thinking about something other than what you're doing).
ABOUT US
Lisa has a PhD in Medical Biology. She was a researcher at Harvard Medical before developing D2C laboratory diagnostics.
Karol is a serial founder who helped thousands of people build healthy eating habits with Upfit.
Simon is a healthcare entrepreneur who brought the doctor online-booking service Doctolib to Germany.
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Health Disclaimer
New Zapien’s products and services are not intended to substitute for professional medical guidance. Our content and media offerings do not aim to diagnose, cure, or address any medical issues.
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