BREATHING MEDITATION CONSTRICTS THE PUPIL, REDUCES EYE BLINKS AND INCREASES BLINKING DURATION
Irene Laudanna, Massimo Zancanaro, De Pisapia
Authorea Preprints August 25, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.22541/au.175613069.95403735/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Novice meditators |
| Interventions | Focused attention meditation (FAM) training Breathing meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Pupil diameter constricted significantly during breathing meditation compared with control tasks, and participants blinked less frequently with longer blink durations. Pupil dilation corresponded to effortful attention in non-meditation tasks. The authors argue these ocular patterns may reliably indicate an effortless attentional state and could support unobtrusive monitoring of meditation. |
Abstract
The study aims to investigate the physiological correlates of attention during breathing meditation by focusing on two ocular parameters: pupil diameter and blinking behavior. We recruited 35 participants (after exclusions) who were novice meditators. They completed a short-term focused attention meditation (FAM) training. In the experimental phase, participants engaged in breathing meditation tasks with open eyes while pupil diameter and blink parameters were continuously measured using an eye tracker. Our results indicate that pupil diameter constricted significantly during breathing meditation compared to control tasks. Participants also exhibited fewer blinks and increased blink duration during the meditation task, with pupil dilation corresponding to periods of effortful attention in non-meditation tasks. Breathing meditation induces distinctive patterns in ocular physiology, such as pupil constriction and reduced blink rate, which could serve as reliable indicators of effortless attentional states in comparison to both mind wandering and effortful attention. These findings suggest that pupillometry and blink measurements can provide a reliable tool for unintrusive monitoring of mediation, and offer valuable insights into the effortless attention developed during meditation.
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 |