Welcome to the Well Minds Lab!

Our research aims to contribute to improvement of mental health and wellbeing, particularly in the educational context. Using innovative multi-method approaches, we investigate the developmental psychological and neurocognitive processes underlying wellbeing across the lifespan. We also examine changes in these processes resulting from wellbeing interventions, particularly those cultivating mindfulness, compassion and other healthy qualities of mind. Our research has implications for educational and healthcare policy on wellbeing promotion and prevention of mental ill-health. The lab is headed by Dr. Dusana Dorjee, an associate professor in the Psychology in Education Research Centre in the Department of Education at the University of York in the UK.

Lab news

Wondering how meditation works? We are currently validating new measures of mechanisms underlying contemplative practices (including mindfulness and other types of meditation or prayer). If you practice mindfulness or any other type of meditation, consider contributing to our research by participating in the validation study. The survey is comprehensive and takes 30-40 minutes to complete: Measuring motivation, self-regulation and modes of existential awareness in contemplative practice contexts

Latest publications:

Nguyen, T. U., & Dorjee, D. (2022). Impact of a mindfulness‐based school curriculum on emotion processing in Vietnamese pre‐adolescents: An event‐related potentials study. Developmental Science25(6), e13255. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13255

Kaunhoven, R. J., & Dorjee, D. (2021). Mindfulness versus cognitive reappraisal: the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the early and late brain potential markers of emotion regulation. Mindfulness12, 2266-2280.

Levit-Binnun, N., Arbel, K., & Dorjee, D. (2021, June 9). The Mindfulness Map: A practical classification framework of mindfulness practices, associated intentions, and experiential understandings. https://doi.org/10.31231/osf.io/hjp6z

Nguyen, T. U., & Dorjee, D. (2021, April 13). The effects of mindfulness training on emotion regulation in Vietnamese pre-adolescents: A SenseMaker study. MindRxiv. https://doi.org/10.31231/osf.io/s85em

Dorjee, D. (2021, March 17). The Covid-19 pandemic, political polarisation, climate change and the useless class: Why fostering wellbeing capacities should be part of the solution. MindRxiv.  https://doi.org/10.31231/osf.io/qtkyr