The McGovern Institute's 2023 holiday video (shown above) was inspired by research conducted in John Gabrieli's lab, which found that practicing mindfulness reduced children's stress levels and negative emotions during the pandemic.

These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that mindfulness can change patterns of brain activity associated with emotions and mental health. Coloring is one form of mindfulness, or focusing awareness on the present.

The postcards featured in this video represent the various scales at which McGovern researchers study the brain (from genes to artificial intelligence), and hidden within each postcard are subtle design elements that symbolize McGovern research. To download and color your own McGovern postcards, check out our complete postcard collection at https://mcgovern.mit.edu/postcards.

Happy holidays and may the spirit of mindfulness bring you peace in the year ahead!

Credits:
Joseph Laney (illustration)
Jacob Pryor (animation)
JR Narrows, Space Lute (sound design)