A single session of mindfulness meditation may acutely enhance cognitive performance regardless of meditation experience
Rita Sleimen-Malkoun, Louise Devillers-Réolon, J. Temprado
PLoS One March 15, 2023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282188 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subject experimental design Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Meditators and novices |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Attentive listening |
| Duration | 10-minute intervention, immediate post-test |
| Measures | Stroop task |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation produced larger improvements in reaction times on the Stroop task than an active control intervention, regardless of prior meditation experience. |
Abstract
The present study investigated acute cognitive effects of mindfulness meditation (MM) compared to an active control intervention in meditators (n = 22) and novices (n = 20) using a within-subject design. We analyzed reaction times in a digitized Stroop task at baseline, after a 10-minute MM session with a fundamental breathing exercise, and after a 10-minute attentive listening intervention. Interventions order was randomized and a 10 min delay was respected before testing. Relative to baseline, meditators and novices showed faster reaction times after both interventions, but more so after MM for the congruent and incongruent Stroop task conditions that are associated with attention, inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Although the two interventions showed cognitive effects independent of previous meditation experience, MM appeared to induce larger benefits. Our findings are encouraging and support MM’s potential as a means to enhance cognitive performance on the short-term without the need of any previous practice.
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
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
- Lightening the mind with audiovisual stimulation as an accessible alternative to breath-focused meditation for mood and cognitive enhancement. Scientific Reports October 26, 2024
- EEG Signatures and Effects of Mindfulness Approaches in Adolescents With Nonsuicidal Self-Injury. Psychophysiology June 1, 2025
- Investigating the effects of focused attention (mantra) meditation on mismatch negativity: Insights into sensory and cognitive processing using an intensity oddball paradigm. Neuroscience April 6, 2025
- Perspective Chapter: Mechanisms Underlying Complementary Therapies for Cognitive Enhancement IntechOpen eBooks March 5, 2026
and 4 more in the library
Cites 18
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
- Mindfulness‐based stress reduction and attentional control Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy November 1, 2007
and 13 more in the library