A study of different cognitive states for meditators and non-meditators with the use of multiple classification indices derived from the PSD of EEG data and lessons learned about cognitive states and the nature of intelligence in minds and machines.
J J Joshua Davis, Florian Schübeler, Ian J. Kirk, Robert Kozma
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2025.1718733 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Meditators and non-meditators |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | EEG Shannon entropy Awareness Cognition Intentionality Meaning Skewness |
| Key findings | EEG patterns analyzed with multiple indices suggest cognition is expressive of deeper experiential states beyond mere computation. |
Abstract
This study explores the layered coherence within human cognition as measured through EEG. Signals were collected from two groups (meditators vs. non-meditators) across six conditions: Meditation, Scrambled Words, Ambiguous Images, Math Mind, Sentences, and Video Watching. We analyzed the EEG data using Shannon Entropy, Pearson's Skewness, Total Power, and Dominant Frequency indices, now taken together, to reveal distinct neurophysiological signatures and a different outcome of hypothesis testing based on one index at a time only. These patterns suggest that cognition is more than merely computational, since it seems to be expressive of deeper experiential states, raising profound questions about the nature of intelligence and whether the human psyche and its experience of meaning, in its different forms, can be meaningfully approached through objective methodologies. Our findings invite a re-examination of scientific inquiry itself, both as a pursuit of mechanistic regularities, and also, holistically, as a means of honoring the subtle interplay between structure and meaning. This is reminiscent of young Carl Friedrich Gauss revealing hidden structure beneath apparent complexity by summing up an arithmetic series with elegant simplicity. This way he reframed a problem through insight rather than brute calculation. If artificial intelligence is to mimic cognition, it must grapple with informational entropy and also with the values and consciousness that give rise to meaning. The entropic balance of EEG signals may offer a window into coherence, yet only a species that is mature enough to honor life, liberty, and the pursuit of deep meaning, should attempt to design artificial "minds." In this convergence of neuroscience and philosophical reflection, we glimpse a deeper imperative: to preserve the truth of what it means to be human in an age increasingly defined by machines.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- AN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC STUDY ON THE ZEN MEDITATION (ZAZEN) Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences December 1, 1966
- Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience April 22, 2015
- The Subjectivity of Subjective Experience: A Representationalist Analysis of the First-Person Perspective The MIT Press eBooks August 28, 2000
- An Integrative Approach to Analyze Eeg Signals and Human Brain Dynamics in Different Cognitive States Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing Research May 3, 2017
- Synchrony and subjective experience: the neural correlates of the stream of consciousness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences May 15, 2025
and 5 more in the library