A study by University of Pennsylvania has found that 'mindfulness training', or MT, improves working memory and overall mood and health.

The study, conducted on US troops preparing for a mission in Iraq, examined the effects of exercise in which subjects were able to keep aware and attentive of the present moment without emotional reactivity or volatility.

The study found that engaging in daily 'mindfulness exercises' improved the participants' mood, working memory, problem solving and cognitive control of emotions.

MT includes activities such as meditation and deep breathing.

Amishi Jha, a cognitive neuroscientist at University of Pennsylvania, said: "Our findings suggest that, just as daily physical exercise leads to physical fitness, engaging in mindfulness exercises on a regular basis may improve mind-fitness.

"Building mind-fitness with mindfulness training may help anyone who must maintain peak performance in the face of extremely stressful circumstances, from Olympic athletes, first responders and relief workers to trauma surgeons."

The study was first published in the journal Emotion.