April 13, 2026
Many college students experience introductory physics courses as psychologically threatening contexts. Yet, succeeding in these high-stakes gateway courses is necessary to declare majors in engineering and physical sciences. The University of Pittsburgh research team* tested whether mindfulness, which centers attention to subjective experiences, can help provide students with tools to navigate their physics-related emotions. Course-wide survey data revealed that over half of students felt psychologically threatened in their physics course. In a preregistered RCT, a 5-d mindfulness training reduced students' feelings of threat and increased their course engagement. This work suggests that mindfulness can support learning and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses by helping students build resilience in how they interpret and respond to stress.
Read the full article at the PNAS website here.
*Currently: Benson-Greenwald, Seton Hall University; Jahanian, Highmark, Inc.; Diamond, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Kuo, University of Illinois; University of Pittsburgh: Good, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Galla, Nokes-Malach, Pelakh and Tumminia.
Benson-Greenwald, T.M., Pelakh, A., Tumminia, M.J., Jahanian, S., Diamond, M.S., Kuo, E., Good, M., Nokes-Malach, T.J. & Galla, B.M. (2026). Building courage, strength, and knowledge: Mindfulness training reduces psychological threat and promotes engagement in college physics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.