The Effect of Robot-Guided Meditation on Intra-Brain EEG Phase Synchronization
Sue Yoon, Maryam Alimardani, Kazuo Hiraki
IEEE/ACM International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction March 8, 2021 DOI: 10.1145/3434074.3447184 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation facilitated by human-robot interaction |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation with a social robot, compared to listening to a lecture by the robot, led to significantly lower global phase synchrony in the beta frequency band of EEG signals, indicating a mindful state. |
Abstract
In this study, we examined the effect of mindfulness meditation facilitated by human-robot interaction (HRI) on brain activity. EEG signals were collected from two groups of participants; Meditation group who practiced mindfulness meditation with a social robot and Control group who only listened to a lecture by the robot. We compared brain functional connectivity between the two groups by computing EEG phase synchrony during HRI session. The results revealed a significantly lower global phase synchrony in beta frequency band of the Meditation group, which has been previously reported as an indication of reduced cognitive processing and achieving the mindful state in experienced meditators. Our findings demonstrate the potential of Socially-Assistive Robots (SAR) for integration in mental healthcare and optimization of the intervention effects. Additionally, our study puts forward new measures for objective monitoring of HRI effect on the user's neurophysiological responses.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- A Brief Wellbeing Training Session Delivered by a Humanoid Social Robot: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial International Journal of Social Robotics October 12, 2023
- Walking in My Shoes: An Autoethnography of Techno-Spiritual Practices International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 25, 2025
Cites 10
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- Mindfulness-induced changes in gamma band activity – Implications for the default mode network, self-reference and attention Clinical Neurophysiology September 21, 2011
- Beyond the individual: Group effects in mindfulness-based stress reduction Psychotherapy Research September 12, 2008
- Meditation is associated with increased brain network integration. Neuroimage September 1, 2017
- Phase synchrony in slow cortical potentials is decreased in both expert and trained novice meditators. Neuroscience Letters May 1, 2019
and 5 more in the library