Brain Activity During Paired and Individual Mindfulness Meditation: A Controlled EEG Study
The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies August 5, 2022 Hessel Engelbregt, Hugo F. Alderse Bass, Sietske De Grauw et al.
Practicing mindfulness meditation in pairs, compared to alone, increases left-frontal alpha and theta brainwave power, as measured by EEG in healthy female university students with no prior meditation experience. The study compared a 5-minute paired meditation condition with individual meditation and a control condition, with participants separated by an opaque screen to isolate the effect of co-presence. The findings suggest that social facilitation or activation of theory of mind may underlie the observed brain activity differences, inviting further exploration of interpersonal dynamics during mindfulness.