Spontaneous eye movements during focused-attention mindfulness meditation.
Alessio Matiz, Cristiano Crescentini, Anastasia Fabbro, Riccardo Budai, Massimo Bergamasco, Franco Fabbro
PLoS One January 24, 2019 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210862 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Expert meditators |
| Intervention | instructed mind-wandering task |
| Duration | Two 7-minute mindfulness meditation sessions and two 7-minute instructed mind-wandering sessions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Electroencephalography Delta rhythm Eye movements Brain mapping Attention Middle aged Female Young adult |
| Key findings | Eye movement amplitude in the delta band (1-4 Hz) was significantly smaller during mindfulness meditation than during instructed mind-wandering. Meditation expertise correlated significantly with this amplitude in both tasks, with more experienced meditators generally moving their eyes less. The authors suggest this measure may help detect mind-wandering during meditation and assess meditation performance. |
Abstract
Oculometric measures have been proven to be useful markers of mind-wandering during visual tasks such as reading. However, little is known about ocular activity during mindfulness meditation, a mental practice naturally involving mind-wandering episodes. In order to explore this issue, we extracted closed-eyes ocular movement measurements via a covert technique (EEG recordings) from expert meditators during two repetitions of a 7-minute mindfulness meditation session, focusing on the breath, and two repetitions of a 7-minute instructed mind-wandering task. Power spectral density was estimated on both the vertical and horizontal components of eye movements. The results show a significantly smaller average amplitude of eye movements in the delta band (1-4 Hz) during mindfulness meditation than instructed mind-wandering. Moreover, participants' meditation expertise correlated significantly with this average amplitude during both tasks, with more experienced meditators generally moving their eyes less than less experienced meditators. These findings suggest the potential use of this measure to detect mind-wandering episodes during mindfulness meditation and to assess meditation performance.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Effects of mindfulness breathing meditation on stress and cognitive functions: a heart rate variability and eye-tracking study Scientific Reports October 24, 2025
- Resting-state BOLD temporal variability of the default mode network predicts spontaneous mind wandering, which is negatively associated with mindfulness skills. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience January 22, 2025
- “And Now Close Your Eyes or Lower Your Gaze”: Exploring Novice Meditators and Their Attentional Processes During Meditation Journal of Cognitive Enhancement May 30, 2020
- Mindfulness Through Storytelling for Mental Health of Primary School Children: Impact on Acceptability and Its Associations with Personality. Psychology Research and Behavior Management 2024
- Cardiac and ocular correlates of mind wandering in meditators and non-meditators during a sustained attention to response task Current Psychology August 1, 2026
and 4 more in the library
Cites 23
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes Neuroimage February 25, 2015
and 18 more in the library