What Confucius practiced is good for your mind: Examining the effect of a contemplative practice in Confucian tradition on executive functions.
Shan-Chuan Teng, Yunn-Wen Lien
Consciousness and Cognition May 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.03.016 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Body-Mind Axial Awareness Chan-meditation |
| Duration | Month-long 12-h training period |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Executive function Mindfulness training Movement-based contemplative training The body-mind axis Ya-yue |
| Key findings | Body-Mind Axial Awareness training improved working memory capacity more than Chan-meditation and a waiting-list control, while Chan-meditation improved attentional switching compared to the control group. |
Abstract
The short-term training effects on various executive functions (EFs) by a movement-based contemplative practice (MBCP) are examined. Three aspects of EFs (working memory capacity, inhibition, switching) are assessed before and after a month-long 12-h training period using Body-Mind Axial Awareness (BMAA) principles that Confucius followers have practiced for more than 2000years. A mindfulness-based practice (Chan-meditation) and a waiting-list control group served as contrast groups. Our results showed that the BMAA group performed better on the task that measured working memory capacity than did the Chan-meditation and the waiting-list groups after training. In addition, the Chan-meditation groups outperformed the control group on attentional switching, a novel finding for this kind of practice. Our findings not only show a new effect of short-term MBCPs on EFs, but also indicate movement-based and mindfulness-based contemplative practices might benefit development of various aspects of EFs in different ways.