Differential Effects of Meditation States and Traits on the Neural Mechanisms of Pain Processing
Vasil Kolev, Peter Malinowski, Antonino Raffone, Valentina Nicolardi, Luca Simione, Salvatore M. Aglioti, Juliana Yordanova
bioRxiv Preprint Server May 20, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.05.20.655049 via bioRxiv
Summary
Different types of meditation alter how the brain processes pain, but the effects depend on the specific meditation technique. Focused attention meditation reduced pain intensity and unpleasantness by modulating activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and insula, while open monitoring meditation reduced pain unpleasantness without affecting intensity, engaging different neural pathways. Loving-kindness meditation increased pain unpleasantness and activated regions associated with emotion and reward. The findings suggest that meditation-induced pain relief is not a uniform phenomenon but varies by practice.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Different types of meditation produce distinct neurophysiologic effects on pain processing, with focused attention reducing both pain intensity and unpleasantness, open monitoring reducing only unpleasantness, and loving-kindness increasing unpleasantness. |
Abstract
Objectives The main objective of the present study was to explore the effects of different types of meditation on the neurophysiologic mechanisms of pain processing.