Effects of heartfulness and bell meditation on brain activities and autonomic function in university students: An exploratory study.
Journal of Education and Health Promotion January 1, 2026 Sushil P Mahato, Abinash Roy, Manickam Anjaladevi et al.
In university students with no prior meditation experience, 21 days of bell meditation produced a large reduction in sympathetic arousal, as measured by galvanic skin response, while heartfulness meditation produced only modest autonomic changes and neither meditation style significantly altered resting brainwave patterns. The study compared nine students randomly assigned to heartfulness, bell, or a passive control group. Bell meditation reduced GSR by 3.90 microsiemens, compared to a 0.63 microsiemens reduction for heartfulness and 0.19 for controls. No adverse events occurred. The findings suggest distinct meditation techniques affect autonomic nervous system activity differently, with bell meditation showing a marked early calming effect.