Effects of mindfulness on psychological and psychophysiological responses during self-paced walking.
Psychophysiology January 17, 2020 M. Bigliassi, Bruno M Galano, A. Lima-Silva et al.
A single session of audio-guided mindfulness meditation, compared with mindlessness meditation or no meditation, shifted attention toward task-related thoughts, lowered perceived activation, and improved emotional responses during a short outdoor walk. Mindlessness meditation increased dissociative thoughts, reduced awareness of physical sensations and emotions, worsened mood, and raised perceived activation. Brain recordings showed that mindfulness enhanced inter-hemispheric connectivity of high-frequency brain waves between the right frontal and left temporo-parietal cortex. Twenty-four adults (12 women, 12 men, average age 23.6 years) walked 200 meters at their own pace under each condition.