A Short Virtual Reality Mindfulness Meditation Training For Regaining Sustained Attention
arXiv Preprint Archive July 10, 2019 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 10-minute virtual reality mindfulness meditation session, featuring a relaxing environment and an archery game, improved sustained attention in 12 adults. After the session, game scores increased by 275% for beginners, 107% for intermediate players, and 17% for experts. Calm points measured by a Muse EEG headband rose by 250% regardless of gaming experience. All participants reported feeling recharged.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Pre-post experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Adults |
| Intervention | VR mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 10-minute session |
| Keywords | Virtual-reality-meditation Attention-enhancement Human-computer-interaction-cs.hc Mindfulness-training Biofeedback-EEG |
| Key finding | A 10-minute VR mindfulness session increased game scores and calm points, indicating improved attention and relaxation. |
Abstract
The ability to focus one's attention underlies success in many everyday tasks, but voluntary attention cannot be sustained for a long period of time. Several studies indicate that attention training using computer-based exercises can lead to improved attention in children and adults. a major goal of recent research is to create a short (10 minutes) and effective VR Mindfulness meditation particularly designed for regaining or improving sustained attention. In this study, we have created a custom virtually relaxing environment including an archery game with multiple targets. In the experiment, the attention span of 12 adults are tested before and after the virtual reality session by a non-action video game ([19]) score and Muse headband EEG-signals. After the 10-minute virtual reality session participants' game scores increased (according to game experience): for the beginner by 275%, for intermediate by 107%, and for an expert by 17%. For Muse headband data, calm points increased by 250% irrespective of the participants gaming experiences. After the experiment, all participants reported feeling recharged to continue their daily activities.