Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mantra Meditation in a 360 Virtual Reality Environment
Durgesh Ameta, Ankita Garg, Parveen Kumar, Laxmidhar Behera, Varun Dutt
Petra July 5, 2023 DOI: 10.1145/3594806.3596587 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Human subjects |
| Duration | 10-minute meditation session |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | A ten-minute VR-assisted audible mantram repetition meditation led to significant improvements in heart rate variability, EEG theta power, psychometric test accuracy, and reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression. |
Abstract
Exercises like meditation assist people in developing their focus, awareness, and emotional stability. Virtual reality (VR) may help meditation practitioners as they frequently struggle to focus or concentrate for various reasons. Of many such studies exploring the usability of VR for meditation, none has tested VR on Audible mantram repetition (AuMR). We recruited ten subjects to perform a ten-minute mantram meditation task. During meditation, practitioners observe an immersive 360 virtual reality (VR) environment. The heart rate variability (HRV) and electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, as well as administered questionnaires (DASS-21, PANAS, and MEDEQ) and psychometric tests (N-back and Stroop task), were measured before and after the meditation to assess changes in the subject’s mental state and cognitive abilities. The results indicated a significant difference in all HRV parameters, increased frontal and temporal theta power of EEG signals, higher accuracy of the aforementioned psychometric tests, and decreased psychological aspects such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a positive change in the participants’ overall mental state and cognitive abilities following meditation in a virtual environment. We discuss the implications of using mantra meditation as a cognitive enhancement.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Exploring EEG biomarkers in meditation, yoga, and mantra practices: a review of neural correlates and methodologies Neural Computing and Applications March 5, 2026
- Tetrahedral feature map for analyzing meditative states in prenatal EEG Engineering Research Express May 6, 2025
- Brief Mantra Meditation Increases Theta Power in Frontal Regions 2025 3rd International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Advanced Computing and Communication February 27, 2025
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and 3 more in the library