Why mantras work: the science behind repetition

I am a daily-ish journal writer. I love the way journaling helps me process, makes my thoughts real, provides opportunities to reflect, dedicates time to sit and be still and holds me to account.

I have a few rituals in the morning, and it all started with reading a passage in Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic. In this epic little book, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ meditations are spaced out into a daily meditation, one for each day of the year. This will be my 4th year of reading a daily meditation, and each year I find new wisdom. The 366 meditations are accompanied by a second book for you to answer a single daily question. Today's question was simple: What is your mantra today?

Today, there was a quote that stood out. Marcus wrote, “I have it in my soul to keep out any evil, desire or any kind of disturbance-instead, seeing the true nature of things, I will give them only their due” (Holiday, 2016). Holiday goes on to discuss that the word mantra comes from Sanskrit and translates to “sacred utterance”.

Having been a regular yogi for the last 10 years, and having practised initially with a traditional Buddhist teacher, mantras are not something that I am unfamiliar with. I have used them many times in a yoga and or meditation class, as well as out on the trails and roads, to get me through a tough endurance running event, or to keep pushing during an internal session, and even to stop mindlessly picking up my mobile phone for no apparent reason!

They have a big place in my life, and it never ceases to fascinate me how these practices have been used for thousands of years, as demonstrated by Marcus’s writing.

Why repeating a mantra calms the mind

I have been pondering why mantras work, why it is so powerful to repeat a sentence or word that makes us block out all other thoughts, and focus only on what we are saying. So I have embarked on some research to help me (and now you) understand why and how these simple but effective things work.

The neuroscience behind mantras

Research shows us that mantras help reduce Default Mode Network (DMN) activity. This default mode network is active when our minds are wandering, if we are ruminating on things, being self-critical or overthinking. Mantras suppress the DMN activity, which allows for less intrusive thoughts, rumination and creates a sense of mental space. Neuroscientists such as Judson Brewer and Richard Davidson have shown this in their studies.

Further studies using EEGs (electroencephalogram) have reported that mantras can increase Alpha and Theta waves, which are associated with calm and relaxed focus, emotional processing and creativity, supporting emotional regulation, learning, and reduced stress.

Research by Andrew Newberg shows that chanting and sacred sound practices activate brain regions involved in attention and self-awareness. We know that Vagus nerve stimulation can improve emotional regulation, lower the heart rate and reduce cortisol, and chanting is your gateway to do that. The Vagus nerve, the longest nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, runs from your brain to your stomach, carrying information back and forth and activities like chanting, singing and humming can stimulate it. 

How mantras support focus and emotional balance

Mantras act as a single-point of focus. With enough practice and repetition, thanks to neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to change), they can strengthen the prefrontal cortex (the brain's executive function centre), improve attention stability and cognitive control, therefore having a positive impact on reducing overwhelm.

When positive mantras are practiced these have even more benefit. Reward pathways are activated (dopamine), and we can shift and build confidence, motivation and emotional baselines.

Finding a mantra that works for you

A mantra, then, is far more than a comforting phrase. It’s an intentional neurological intervention, one that quiets the mind’s background noise, steadies attention, and reshapes emotional patterns through repetition and focus.

What ancient practitioners intuited, modern neuroscience is now mapping in real time: when we choose a sentence that anchors us, we’re giving the brain a pathway out of overwhelm and back into clarity.

So the next time you feel scattered, stuck, or pulled into unhelpful loops, try returning to a simple line that meets you where you are. Repeat it with intention. Let it gather your attention. Notice how your inner landscape shifts when you give your mind something steady to hold.

Why not try to answer the question in the first paragraph: What is your mantra today?