Music can alter people's ordinary experience of space and time, challenging the concept of invariant space and time assumed in psychology. This review examines experimental evidence and subjective reports of music's influence on the representation of space and time, along with prominent explanations for these effects. It discusses the role of absorption, altered states of consciousness, changes in attention, neurophysiological processes, and models of human time processing and time experience. The research is still inconclusive, but integrating different approaches could lead to a better understanding. A working model is provided, and suggestions for further research in music psychology and cognitive psychology are outlined.
Equanimity (reduced emotional reactivity) and insight (altered cognitions) are the two key effects of mindfulness meditation that lead to increased wellbeing, according to a model developed from interviews with meditators and refined using Western research and Buddhist scriptures. The model was pilot-tested with a large sample of meditators and non-meditators, showing acceptable fit and significant differences between the groups on the model's core categories. This work builds on a prior meta-analysis that found positive effects of mindfulness meditation on mindfulness, emotions, self-concept, attention, perception, wellbeing, interpersonal abilities, and personality traits.