A guided loving kindness meditation combined with chills-inducing music enhances mood, self-transcendence, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight more than meditation alone. In a randomized online study with 398 participants, loving kindness meditation increased connectedness to others compared to a mindfulness-based control, while adding chills-inducing music to either meditation boosted self-transcendence, mood, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight. The experience of aesthetic chills during meditation predicted these positive effects. Individual traits like absorption, interoceptive awareness, and vividness of internal imagery also independently contributed to specific outcomes such as ego-dissolution and connectedness. Chills augmentation appears a viable method for deepening contemplative practices.
A guided loving kindness meditation combined with chills-inducing music boosted mood, self-transcendence, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight more than the same meditation without the music. In an online study with 398 participants, both the chills-augmented meditation and a chills-augmented mindfulness control increased these outcomes. Experiencing aesthetic chills during meditation predicted the positive effects regardless of condition. Individual traits also shaped specific experiences: absorption predicted ego-dissolution and connectedness to the world, interoceptive awareness predicted connectedness to self, and vivid internal imagery predicted connectedness to others.
A guided loving kindness meditation combined with uplifting, chills-inducing music improved mood, self-transcendence, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight more than meditation alone or a mindfulness control. In a randomized online study with 398 participants, the chills-augmented condition enhanced connectedness to others, self-transcendence, and emotional breakthrough. The experience of aesthetic chills during meditation mediated these effects. Individual traits also played a role: absorption predicted ego-dissolution and connectedness; interoceptive awareness predicted ego-dissolution; and vivid internal imagery predicted connectedness to the world and others. The findings suggest that combining meditation with emotionally evocative music can foster salutogenic and prosocial outcomes.