Zen meditation and access to information in the unconscious.
Madelijn Strick, Tirza H J Van Noorden, Rients R Ritskes, Jan R De Ruiter, Ap Dijksterhuis
Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2012.02.010 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAcross two experiments using different research paradigms, Zen meditation improved access to unconscious information. Zen practitioners who meditated in the lab outperformed those who did not on the Remote Associate Test, a measure of creative problem-solving. In a second task, meditating Zen practitioners showed greater use of subliminally primed words compared to non-meditating practitioners. The findings suggest that Zen meditation enhances the ability to bring accessible but unconscious information into awareness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Zen practitioners |
| Intervention | Zen meditation |
| Key finding | Zen meditation improved performance on the Remote Associate Test and increased use of subliminally primed words. |
Abstract
In two experiments and two different research paradigms, we tested the hypothesis that Zen meditation increases access to accessible but unconscious information. Zen practitioners who meditated in the lab performed better on the Remote Associate Test (RAT; Mednick, 1962) than Zen practitioners who did not meditate. In a new, second task, it was observed that Zen practitioners who meditated used subliminally primed words more than Zen practitioners who did not meditate. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.