Psychophysiology of Meditation

Evidence on how meditation affects psychophysiological markers like brain-wave patterns, heart-rate variability, and skin conductance shows mixed results. Frontal EEG alpha asymmetry findings are inconclusive. Event-related brain potentials more consistently indicate improvements in attention control, but evidence for changes in emotion processing, language processing, or existential awareness is too limited for firm conclusions. The research highlights the potential of these methods to reveal meditation's effects and mechanisms, but more rigorous long-term studies and comprehensive assessments across multiple physiological indexes are needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Psychophysiological research on meditation examines modulations in brain and body physiology resulting from, or associated with, meditation. This chapter considers the available evidence regarding the effects of meditation on psychophysiological markers, including frontal electroencephalography (EEG) alpha asymmetry, event-related brain potentials (ERPs), heart-rate variability (HRV) and its derivative indexes, and galvanic skin response (GSR). The emerging mosaic of findings suggests an inconclusive mixed pattern of evidence regarding changes in frontal EEG alpha asymmetry with meditation. The evidence base on ERP changes resulting from meditation is more consistent, particularly pointing to improvements in attention control. However, ERP evidence on modulations in emotion processing, language processing, and existential awareness (such as decentering) with meditation is very limited, not allowing for conclusive answers. Overall, the current evidence on psychophysiological changes with meditation underscores the potential of these methods in providing novel insights into the effects and mechanisms of meditation. More rigorous studies with long-term follow-up, comprehensive systemic assessments, and explorations of convergent/divergent patterns of findings across psychophysiological indexes are needed