Here are four science-backed reasons to get your om on: 

  1. Meditation can make you more productive. Squeezing in another activity might sound counterintuitive, especially if you’re stressed, but a recent study in the journal Emotion shows that mindfulness—a type of meditation that requires you to sit quietly for a few minutes and focus on physical sensations—was highly effective in improving people’s working memory, the short-term memory needed for managing info, controlling emotions, and problem solving. The best part? The study found that you can reap all these benefits with just 12 minutes of meditation per day. More from Prevention: Find The Best Meditation For Your Personality
  2. You can cut down on the amount of pain pills you pop. Zen meditation works just as well as aspirin, according to a 2010 study. It appears that meditation that involves focusing on breathing and posture while trying to keep your mind from wandering can actually thicken the part of your brain that regulates and lowers your sensitivity to pain. (Try our Meditation For Pain technique.)
  3. It helps kids ditch the drama. Temperamental teens can lose the attitude with some simple meditation, according to a recent study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Easy meditation techniques, such as deep breathing and relaxation, were shown to significantly improve teenagers’ less-than-pleasant moods. (Give these Breathing Meditation techniques a shot.) 
  4. Meditation can help with your menopause temperature control. When researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School had women with frequent hot flashes learn mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in a weekly class for eight weeks, they got more than they bargained for: Not only did the women’s quality of life improve overall, but the severity of their hot flashes actually plummeted by 40%. (Try this quick, calming 5-Minute Meditation.) Ready to give it a shot? It’s best to learn meditation techniques through a class; you can find ones near you through the Center For Mindfulness site. Or check your local library for easy-to-follow meditation DVDs.