Determining the depth of meditation through frontal alpha asymmetry.
Dwivedi Krishna, Deepeshwar Singh, N K Manjunath
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1576642 (opens in new tab)
The journal has published a correction to this paper. Read the correction (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 59 |
| Population | Long-term heartfulness meditation practitioners and non-meditators aged 30 to 45 years |
| Intervention | Heartfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Visual analogue scale Depth of meditation Electroencephalogram Frontal alpha asymmetry Heartfulness meditation |
| Key findings | Frontal alpha asymmetry correlates positively with self-reported depth of meditation, and heartfulness meditation may modulate FAA patterns in practitioners. |
Abstract
Electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha asymmetry has become a pivotal area of research for understanding functional hemispheric differences in neuroscience. To the best of our knowledge, the relationship between frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) and the depth of meditation has yet to be thoroughly examined. To address this gap, the present cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the meditative states of long-term meditators and non-meditators. This study examined 26 long-term heartfulness meditation practitioners (LTM) and 33 non-meditators (NM), aged 30 to 45 years. Frontal EEG activity was employed to assess frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), while self-reported measures, including the Meditation Depth Questionnaire (MEDEQ) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), were used to evaluate the depth of meditation. The results demonstrated significant differences in self-reported meditation depth between the long-term meditators and non-meditators, as shown through MEDEQ and VAS assessments. Notably, the FAA findings exhibited distinct interaction effects that highlight variations between the two groups. Furthermore, a positive correlation was established between FAA and the depth of meditation, supporting the notion that EEG patterns are reflective of self-reported meditative experiences. The findings suggest that heartfulness meditation may modulate FAA patterns in practitioners, which could be linked to enhanced emotional balance.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 18
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023. Cureus June 1, 2023
- Rajyoga meditation induces grey matter volume changes in regions that process reward and happiness Scientific Reports September 30, 2020
- Comparing impacts of meditation training in focused attention, open monitoring, and mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on emotion reactivity and regulation: Neural and subjective evidence from a dismantling study Psychophysiology February 19, 2022
and 13 more in the library