Different styles of meditation produce distinct patterns of brain activity. A meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging studies (31 experiments, 527 participants) found that four common meditation styles—focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness—reliably activate and deactivate different brain regions, with suggestive differences for three others (visualization, sense-withdrawal, and non-dual awareness). Some areas like the insula and anterior cingulate cortex are recruited across multiple techniques, but convergence is the exception. Medium effect sizes for activations (d = .59) and deactivations (d = -.74) suggest practical significance. The findings support the neurophysiological dissociability of meditation practices while highlighting methodological concerns.
Meditation comprises diverse mental practices with distinct strategies. A meta-analysis of 78 neuroimaging studies (527 participants) found reliably different brain activation patterns for four common meditation styles—focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness—and suggestive differences for three others. Some brain regions (insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, frontopolar cortex) were recruited across multiple techniques, but convergence was the exception. Effect sizes were medium for both activations (d = .59) and deactivations (d = -.74), indicating potential practical significance. The findings support the neurophysiological dissociability of meditation practices while highlighting methodological concerns and future research directions.
Different styles of meditation produce distinct patterns of brain activity and deactivation, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging studies. Four common styles—focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness—showed reliably dissociable activation patterns consistent with their psychological aims. Some brain areas, such as the insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, were recruited across multiple techniques, but convergence was the exception. A preliminary effect-size analysis found medium effects for both activations and deactivations, suggesting potential practical significance. The review also raised methodological concerns and suggested avenues for future research.