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What mindfulness does to your brain
How 10 minutes of calm change everything.
Mario Peshev
May 11, 2025
In partnership with
Welcome to The Smarter Brain, a curation of thought-provoking ideas and actionable reads to help you build better habits and become more productive.
Happy reading - See you on Wednesday!
Cheers,
The Smarter Brain Team
Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins
3 Ideas for Better Habits
Your Mind Is Not a Mirror
Science journalist, Daniel Goleman, on perception vs. reality.
“We live in a world our minds build rather than actually perceiving the endless details of what is happening.”
Name It to Tame It
Google mindfulness pioneer, Chade-Meng Tan, on emotional self-regulation.
“There is a simple technique for self-regulation called ‘affect labeling,’ which simply means labeling feelings with words. When you label an emotion you are experiencing (for example, ‘I feel anger’), it somehow helps you manage that emotion.”
Courage Creates Momentum
Clinical psychologist and mindfulness teacher, Mark Williams, on taking the first step.
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
You’re doing breakfast wrong
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Productivity Tools and Resources
Meditate Together, Anywhere
Insight Timer is a free, community-driven meditation app featuring thousands of guided sessions, ambient music tracks, and tools to support your mental wellness journey.
Train Your Brain Like an Athlete
Muse S Athena is a cutting-edge wearable that uses EEG + fNIRS dual-sensing technology to track brain activity, improve focus, and enhance sleep. With real-time neurofeedback and over 500 guided meditations, it's designed to help you stay calm, alert, and mentally strong.
What We're Reading
Happier Meditation Weekly is a free newsletter that delivers insights on meditation, healthy habits, and emotional resilience - featuring weekly essays and tools from top mindfulness teachers to help you cultivate more joy, one mindful moment at a time.
Brain Food
Today I Learned: A day on Venus is longer than its year; Venus takes 243 Earth days to rotate once, but only 225 Earth Days to orbit the Sun. (Source)
Science: The human brain’s storage capacity is estimated at around 2.5 petabytes, equivalent to 2.5 million gigabytes. (Source)
Have a productive rest of your week,
The Smarter Brain Team
Resource Spotlight
The Gentle Art of Letting Go
Aging Wisely is a heartfelt essay reflecting on the emotional landscape of growing older. Salzberg offers mindful tools for navigating loss, physical change, and self-judgment - while embracing joy, gratitude, and self-kindness. This piece is both a meditation guide and a compassionate reminder to honor all stages of life.
On How Sound Transforms The Mind
This article dives deeply into how music influences the human brain - from sparking dopamine and aiding memory recall to supporting heart health and improving emotional intelligence. It’s a research-packed piece revealing why melodies move us, heal us, and quite literally tune our minds for better performance and connection.
Turning Awareness Into Action
Supporting your mental health doesn’t need to be a big production. Calm’s guide for Mental Health Awareness Month breaks it down into 13 practical steps - like building a calm kit, checking in with a friend, or just taking 60 seconds to pause. It’s simple, human, and designed to meet you where you are.
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