The Role of Meditation in Stress Recovery and Performance: An EEG Study
Mohammad H. Ahmed, Mehmet Kaya, Amirtaha Taebi, Peshala Thibbotuwawa Gamage
Volume 5: Biomedical and Biotechnology October 29, 2023 DOI: 10.1115/imece2023-114023 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Healthy adults between 18 and 35 |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Meditation before a stressor did not significantly change recovery time but improved reaction time and accuracy. |
Abstract
Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effects of meditation on recovery time following a stressor and cognitive performance. Two sessions were performed in this study, one as a control without participants meditating prior to the stress task and one with meditation. EEG signals were recorded from 24 channels and processed using frequency domain analysis to measure power in various frequency bands. Participants for this pilot study were 10 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 35. Reaction time and response accuracy were used as performance measures during the stressor with slower reaction times indicating lower levels of alertness. Brain activity prior to the stressor was compared with activity following the stress task, and the time needed to return to baseline was observed. The effect of meditation on recovery time and performance was analyzed and a gradual return to baseline values was observed. Recovery time varied among participants, with some taking longer than others to recover but no significant change was observed with meditation. Performance-wise, participants who meditated prior to the stressor had improved reaction time and accuracy when compared to the control group. The results suggest that interventions such as meditation or mindfulness practices may help individuals improve performance, but further research is needed to confirm these findings.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |