Meditating in a neurofeedback virtual reality: effects on sense of presence, meditation depth and brain oscillations
M. Salminen, Simo Järvelä, Ilkka Kosunen, Antti Ruonala, Juho Hamari, N. Ravaja, Giulio Jacucci
Behavior and Information Technology September 21, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/0144929x.2023.2258231 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Human participants |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Neurofeedback functionality in VR effectively guided users to increase neural indices of meditation-related concentration and relaxation, evoking desired neural activation and subjective experiences. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT With the advent of consumer-grade electroencephalography (EEG) and virtual reality (VR) devices, the use of human cognitive processes directly as means for user-adapted interaction in immersive virtual environments has become increasingly relevant. In this study (N = 43), we investigate electroencephalography-based neurofeedback interaction in virtual reality (VR). Particularly, we investigate this phenomenon in the context of meditation which enables the studying of cognitive processes (attention, sense of presence, meditation depth) when using an immersive interface that is adaptive based on neural responses. A prototype virtual reality environment was built that employs head-mounted display (HMD), and the neurofeedback functionality guided the user to increase the neural indices of meditation-related concentration and relaxation. The observed findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of neurofeedback functionality and VR in evoking desired types of neural activation and subjective experiences.