Psychophysiology of duration estimation in experienced mindfulness meditators and matched controls.
Simone Otten, Eva Schötz, Marc Wittmann, Niko Kohls, Stefan Schmidt, Karin Meissner
Frontiers in Psychology August 18, 2015 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01215 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 44 |
| Population | 22 experienced mindfulness meditators and 22 matched controls |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attention Time perception Mindfulness meditation Autonomic regulation Interoceptive awareness |
| Key findings | Experienced mindfulness meditators did not differ from matched controls in duration reproduction, selective attention, or heartbeat perception. Across all participants, duration reproduction performance was associated with psychophysiological changes (cardiac period and skin conductance), which were also related to heartbeat perception scores. The authors argue these results support the view that time perception is linked to autonomic regulation and awareness of body states. |
Abstract
Recent research suggests that bodily signals and interoception are strongly related to our sense of time. Mindfulness meditators train to be aware of their body states and therefore could be more accurate at interval timing. In this study, n = 22 experienced mindfulness meditators and n = 22 matched controls performed both, an acoustic and a visual duration reproduction task of 8, 14, and 20 s intervals, while heart rate and skin conductance were continuously assessed. In addition, participants accomplished a heart beat perception task and two selective attention tasks. Results revealed no differences between meditators and controls with respect to performance in duration reproduction or attentional capacities. Additionally no group difference in heart beat perception scores was found. Across all subjects, correlational analyses revealed several associations between performance in the duration reproduction tasks and psychophysiological changes, the latter being also related to heart beat perception scores. Furthermore, former findings of linearly increasing cardiac periods and decreasing skin conductance levels during the auditory duration estimation task (Meissner and Wittmann, 2011) could be replicated, and these changes could also be observed during a visual duration reproduction task. In contrast to our earlier findings, the heart beat perception test was not related with timing performance. Overall, although experienced meditators did not differ from matched controls with respect to duration reproduction and interoceptive awareness, this study adds significantly to the emerging view that time perception is related to autonomic regulation and awareness of body states.
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 11
- The relationship between mindfulness and objective measures of body awareness: A meta-analysis Scientific Reports November 22, 2019
- Awareness of the passage of time and self-consciousness: What do meditators report? PsyCh Journal March 1, 2019
- Mindfulness meditation, time judgment and time experience: Importance of the time scale considered (seconds or minutes) PLoS One October 18, 2019
- Facilitating Meditation with Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation: A First Investigation in Experienced Practitioners January 31, 2024
- Mindfulness and Objective Measures of Body Awareness: A Preregistered Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-Analysis. Biopsychosocial science and medicine May 1, 2025
and 6 more in the library
Cites 15
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
- Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience June 11, 2012
- Mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults: A randomized controlled pilot study ☆ Pain June 4, 2007
- Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysiological markers of attentional control Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 10 more in the library