Loving-Kindness and Walking Meditation with a Robot: Countering Depression by Stimulating Creativity
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 142 |
| Population | Young people aged 18 to 34 |
| Interventions | Loving-kindness Meditation Walking Meditation |
| Duration | 10-minute intervention between two questionnaire rounds |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | Both audio-guided Loving-kindness Meditation and Walking Meditation evoked state openness, with Loving-kindness Meditation also increasing positive valence. Valence and state openness correlated positively and were associated with higher willingness to create; positive valence was linked to better convergent thinking, potentially reducing depression. |
Abstract
Depression often results in personal and social losses. Young people going through psychological changes are particularly vulnerable. This study explores the use of different treatments in reducing depression among young people and the possibility of using social robots as instructors in the process. Participants (N = 142), aged between 18 and 34 joined a one-time laboratory experiment. They responded to two rounds of questionnaires, with a 10-minute intervention in between each round. According to the result, both audio-guided Loving-kindness Meditation (LKM) and Walking Meditation (WM) were successful in evoking state openness, with the former also exerting a positive effect on valence. Valence and state openness are positively correlated, and both are associated with a higher willingness to create. With positive valence, young people likely perform better on convergent thinking, which may potentially lead to depression reduction. The experiment also gives insight into the importance of designing social robots’ roles in accordance with the task’s goals.