Analysis of EEG Signal Components based on Meditation and Mind-Wandering Between Experienced Meditators and Non-Meditators

Meditation cultivates a calm, alert mental state and can reduce pain, worry, and other negative emotions. This paper compared electroencephalography (EEG) brain activity in five experienced meditators (over three years of practice) and five meditation novices, both at rest and during meditation. Changes in alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and theta brainwave components were analyzed using power, mean, and standard deviation. Statistical significance was assessed with a t-test at a 95% confidence interval. The results suggest that meditation experience alters brainwave patterns, with p-values below 0.05 considered significant.

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Abstract

Through meditation, one can acquire a calm, awake state of mind. It can assist people in becoming more conscious of themselves and their surroundings. Pain, worry, and other undesirable feelings may be significantly reduced with meditation. EEG is now one of the methods widely employed in the field of neuroscience to study how the brain works. Different capabilities of the brain are identified via electroencephalography (EEG), which uses brain data collected through electrodes. In this paper, the behavior of five participants with greater than three years of meditative experience and 5 persons with no meditative background is analyzed in resting and meditative positions. The behavioral changes in the meditators versus novices concerning EEG signal components such as alpha α, beta β, gamma ϒ, delta ẟ, and theta θ are analyzed with the help of changes observed in parameters such as power, mean, and standard deviation (SD). Then finally, the significance of the results obtained is statistically analyzed by finding the p-value using a t-test, with a 95% confidence interval. A p-value less than 0.05 is considered significant.