Brief mindfulness meditation intervention improves attentional control of athletes in virtual reality shooting competition: Evidence from fNIRS and eye tracking.
Qian Gao, Liwei Zhang
Psychology of Sport And Exercise November 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102477 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 78 |
| Population | University athletes |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Mind wandering |
| Duration | 20-minute pre-competition intervention |
| Measures | average fixation duration (AFD), average fixation count (AFC), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), oxygenated haemoglobin [HbO], functional connectivity (FC), shooting performance |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attentional control Eye tracking Mindfulness meditation Shooting Virtual reality Fnirs |
| Key findings | Athletes who practiced 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation before a virtual reality shooting competition had longer average fixation durations on targets, fewer and shorter fixations on a distracting ranking screen, stronger left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation, higher oxygenated haemoglobin, greater right dlPFC functional connectivity, and better shooting performance than those who spent 20 minutes mind wandering. The authors suggest brief pre-competition mindfulness practice facilitates focus and improves athletic performance. |
Abstract
Attentional control is a crucial cognitive ability for sports performance. The current research aimed to investigate whether a brief (20-min) pre-competition mindfulness meditation (MM) intervention enhances athletes' attentional control during competitions and alters the activity of brain regions related to attentional control. We created a virtual reality shooting competition to compare the eye-gaze indicators and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) parameters of 78 university athletes after 20 min of MM or 20 min of mind wandering (MW). Participants' average fixation durations (AFDs) on task-relevant information (targets) were significantly longer in the MM group. In contrast, both average fixation counts (AFCs) and AFDs on task-irrelevant information (the ranking screen) were significantly lower in the MM group than in the MW group. Additionally, the MM group exhibited significantly stronger activation of the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) as well as higher levels of oxygenated haemoglobin [HbO] and greater functional connectivity (FC) of the right dlPFC, which was considered evidence of recruitment for attentional control. Moreover, the MM group achieved significantly better shooting performance than the MW group. Overall, the findings suggest that one session 20-min MM practice pre-competition facilitates focus during competition and improves athletic performance. We recommend the application of brief mindfulness practice in sports, especially in closed-skill sports that require high attention participation (e.g., shooting, archery, darts, golf, gymnastics, skating etc.).
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- The effectiveness and applicability of mindfulness intervention in psychological adaptation after sports injury: a systematic review. Australian Journal of Psychology 2024
- Effects of mindfulness intervention on competition state anxiety in sprinters—a randomized controlled trial Frontiers in Psychology October 31, 2024
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Enhancing Psychological Well-Being in Athletes: A Scoping Review of Randomised Controlled Trials Healthcare September 8, 2026
- The effects of intensive mindfulness interventions on athletes’ psychological states and cognitive performance: an fNIRS study BMC Psychology March 9, 2026
- Effects of Meditation Practice on Body Balance Training Mindfulness August 3, 2026
and 8 more in the library
Cites 16
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. Emotion February 6, 2012
- Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysiological markers of attentional control Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Mindfulness Meditation Training and Executive Control Network Resting State Functional Connectivity: A Randomized Controlled Trial Psychosomatic Medicine March 22, 2017
and 11 more in the library