Long-term meditation: the relationship between cognitive processes, thinking styles and mindfulness.
Rosa Angela Fabio, Giulia Emma Towey
Cognitive Processing November 7, 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-017-0844-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control comparison (cross-sectional) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | 18 long-term meditation practitioners and 18 matched controls who never practiced meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Cognition Memory, short-term Attention Adult Middle aged Female Stroop test Working memory Cognitive flexibility Thinking styles |
| Key findings | The authors report significant differences between long-term meditators and non-meditators, concluding that long-term meditation practice is linked to improvements in attentional functions, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. They also examined links between meditation practice, mindfulness skills, and thinking styles. |
Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between meditation and cognitive functions. More in depth the purpose is to demonstrate that long-term meditation practice improves attention skills and cognitive flexibility. Eighteen long-term meditation practitioners were compared to a matched control group, who never practiced meditation. Each subject was tested, using computerized software (Presentation Software 9.90), which measured: attention, visual search abilities, working memory and Stroop's interference tasks. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between long-term meditation practice, mindfulness skills and thinking styles, namely styles of processing information. The results showed significant differences between the two groups, demonstrating that long-term meditation is linked to improvements of attentional functions, working memory and cognitive flexibility.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 27
- The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Neuropsychology Review August 4, 2021
- The contemplative exercise through the lenses of predictive processing: A promising approach. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- The Effect of Mindfulness Training on Proactive and Reactive Cognitive Control Frontiers in Psychology June 20, 2018
- Mindfulness and Coaching to Improve Learning Abilities in University Students: A Pilot Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health March 16, 2020
- Volitional mental absorption in meditation: Toward a scientific understanding of advanced concentrative absorption meditation and the case of jhana. Heliyon May 14, 2024
and 22 more in the library
Cites 15
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
and 10 more in the library