Technology and Meditation: Exploring the Challenges and Benefits of a Physical Device to Support Meditation Routine

Tjaša Kermavnar; Pieter M. A. Desmet

doi:10.3390/mti8020009

Technology and Meditation: Exploring the Challenges and Benefits of a Physical Device to Support Meditation Routine

Tjaša Kermavnar, Pieter M. A. Desmet

Multimodal Technologies and Interaction January 29, 2024 DOI: 10.3390/mti8020009 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract

Characteristics	Longitudinal mixed-methods study Peer reviewed
Sample size	7
Population	Novice meditators
Intervention	Prana
Duration	8 weeks
Measures	Meditation Intentions Questionnaire-24, Determinants of Meditation Practice Inventory-Revised, Self-Report Habit Index (SrHI), System Usability Scale, Ten-Item Personality Inventory, Brief Self-Control Scale
Topics	Meditation
Key findings	The authors expected Prana to increase meditation frequency and temporal consistency, but the results failed to confirm this. Participants meditated on 16% to 84% of study days, with frequency decreasing over time for four, decreasing then increasing for two, and stable for one. Meditation became more habitual for six participants, yet positive Self-Report Habit Index scores were rare.

Abstract

Existing studies of technology supporting meditation habit formation mainly focus on mobile applications which support users via reminders. A potentially more effective source of motivation could be contextual cues provided by meaningful objects in meaningful locations. This longitudinal mixed-methods 8-week study explored the effectiveness of such an object, Prana, in supporting forming meditation habits among seven novice meditators. First, the Meditation Intentions Questionnaire-24 and the Determinants of Meditation Practice Inventory-Revised were administered. The self-report habit index (SrHI) was administered before and after the study. Prana recorded meditation session times, while daily diaries captured subjective experiences. At the end of the study, the system usability scale, the ten-item personality inventory, and the brief self-control scale were completed, followed by individual semi-structured interviews. We expected to find an increase in meditation frequency and temporal consistency, but the results failed to confirm this. Participants meditated for between 16% and 84% of the study. The frequency decreased with time for four, decreased with subsequent increase for two, and remained stable for one of them. Daily meditation experiences were positive, and the perceived difficulty to start meditating was low. No relevant correlation was found between the perceived difficulty in starting to meditate and meditation experience overall; the latter was only weakly associated with the likelihood of meditating the next day. While meditation became more habitual for six participants, positive scores on SrHI were rare. Despite the inconclusive results, this study provides valuable insights into challenges and benefits of using a meditation device, as well as potential methodological difficulties in studying habit formation with physical devices.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan...	2017	Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system	2004	Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety	2006	Exploratory mixed methods study	n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context	2001	Qualitative study	n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators	2013	Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

Citations in the library

Cited by 3

Cites 11

and 6 more in the library