Does the Sound of a Singing Bowl Synchronize Meditational Brainwaves in the Listeners?
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health June 19, 2023 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20126180 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 17 |
| Population | Seventeen participants (eight males and nine females, average age 25.2) |
| Duration | 5 minutes of listening |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Listening to a singing bowl beating at 6.68 Hz produced increases of up to about 251% in brain wave spectral magnitude at the beat frequency in the F3 and F4 regions, exceeding increases at other clinical frequency bands. The authors suggest this synchronized activation, at a frequency within the theta range, may facilitate meditation and relaxation. |
Abstract
This study aims to verify if the beating sound of a singing bowl synchronizes and activates brain waves during listening. The singing bowl used in this experiment produce beats at a frequency of 6.68 Hz, while it decays exponentially and lasts for about 50 s. Brain waves were measured for 5 min in the F3 and F4 regions of seventeen participants (eight males and nine females, average age 25.2) who heard the beating singing bowl sounds. The experimental results showed that the increases (up to ~251%) in the spectral magnitudes of the brain waves were dominant at the beat frequency compared to those of any other clinical brain wave frequency bands. The observed synchronized activation of the brain waves at the beating sound frequency supports that the singing bowl sound may effectively facilitate meditation and relaxation, considering that the beat frequency belongs to the theta wave region which increases in the relaxed meditation state.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
- Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging November 1, 2001
- Short-Term Longitudinal Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on EEG Power and Coherence International Journal of Neuroscience 1981
- Quantitative EEG Study on Zen Meditation (Zazen) Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences December 1, 1994
- Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine September 30, 2016
and 6 more in the library