Differences in Visual Sensitivity among Mindfulness Meditators and Non-Meditators
Daniel Brown, Michael Forte, Michael Dysart
Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1984 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1984.58.3.727 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Practitioners of Buddhist mindfulness meditation (three groups) and non-meditator controls |
| Intervention | Buddhist mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 89 |
| Key findings | Meditation practitioners detected light flashes of shorter duration than non-meditators, suggesting a lower visual detection threshold, with no differences among the three meditator groups. No group differences appeared in discriminating closely spaced successive flashes. The authors suggest the threshold difference may reflect an enduring sensitivity increase from long-term mindfulness practice. |
Abstract
Tachistoscopic presentation of light flashes was used to test for differences in visual sensitivity among 3 groups of practitioners of Buddhist mindfulness meditation and non-meditator-controls. Meditation practitioners were able to detect light flashes of shorter duration than the non-meditators. There were no differences among the meditator groups. There were no differences among the groups in ability to discriminate between closely spaced successive light flashes. The lower detection threshold for single light flashes for the meditators may reflect an enduring increase in sensitivity, perhaps the long-term effects of the practice of mindfulness meditation on certain perceptual habit patterns. The lack of significant differences in the discrimination of successive light flashes probably reflects the resistance of other perceptual habit patterns to modification. The results support the statements found in Buddhist texts on meditation concerning the changes in perception encountered during the practice of mindfulness.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- The psychological and neurophysiological concomitants of mindfulness forms of meditation Acta Neuropsychiatrica April 1, 2007
- A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives Frontiers in Psychology 2014
- Visual Sensitivity and Mindfulness Meditation Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1984
- Continuity, Causation And Cyclicity: A Cultural Neurophenomenoloǵy Of Time-Consciousness Time and Mind 2008
and 11 more in the library