Inter-brain co-activations during mindfulness meditation. Implications for devotional and clinical settings.
Consciousness and Cognition September 22, 2021 Alessio Matiz, C. Crescentini, M. Bergamasco et al.
The brains of two people meditating together in the same room show different patterns of electrical activity compared to when they meditate alone in separate rooms. Expert meditator couples performed mindfulness-oriented meditation and instructed mind-wandering tasks either in the same room or in different rooms while EEG was recorded. Gamma brainwave activity was higher in limbic areas during mindfulness meditation performed together versus alone, an effect not explained by gender, age, or meditation expertise. Theta and alpha activity also differed between conditions in temporo-occipital regions. The findings suggest that the social context of shared meditation alters brain function in ways specific to mindfulness practice.