Meditation, mindfulness and executive control: the importance of emotional acceptance and brain-based performance monitoring.
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience April 15, 2012 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss045 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study comparing meditators and controls Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Meditators and non-meditating controls |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Measures | error-related negativity (ERN), Stroop task |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Brain Humans Psychophysiology Emotions Awareness Attention Adaptation, physiological Evoked potentials Female Executive function Stroop test Functional neuroimaging |
| Key findings | Meditators showed greater executive control (fewer Stroop errors), a higher error-related negativity, and more emotional acceptance than controls. The authors argue that meditation practice relates to greater executive control mainly through heightened emotional acceptance and, to a lesser extent, increased brain-based performance monitoring. |
Abstract
Previous studies have documented the positive effects of mindfulness meditation on executive control. What has been lacking, however, is an understanding of the mechanism underlying this effect. Some theorists have described mindfulness as embodying two facets-present moment awareness and emotional acceptance. Here, we examine how the effect of meditation practice on executive control manifests in the brain, suggesting that emotional acceptance and performance monitoring play important roles. We investigated the effect of meditation practice on executive control and measured the neural correlates of performance monitoring, specifically, the error-related negativity (ERN), a neurophysiological response that occurs within 100 ms of error commission. Meditators and controls completed a Stroop task, during which we recorded ERN amplitudes with electroencephalography. Meditators showed greater executive control (i.e. fewer errors), a higher ERN and more emotional acceptance than controls. Finally, mediation pathway models further revealed that meditation practice relates to greater executive control and that this effect can be accounted for by heightened emotional acceptance, and to a lesser extent, increased brain-based performance monitoring.
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
Cited by 88
- Interoception, contemplative practice, and health Frontiers in Psychology June 9, 2015
- Inside the Mindful Mind Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2013
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- Brief mindfulness meditation training reduces mind wandering: The critical role of acceptance. Emotion November 7, 2016
and 83 more in the library
Cites 15
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2002
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
and 10 more in the library