Meditation improves self-regulation over the life span.
Yi-Yuan Tang, Michael I Posner, Mary K Rothbart
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences August 22, 2013 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12227 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Meditation relaxation training |
| Duration | 5 days |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Substance-related disorders Tomography, emission-computed, single-photon Attention Borderline personality disorder Schizophrenia Age factors Cultural characteristics Social control, informal Students Adolescent Middle aged Child, preschool China Young adult Executive function Mind-body relations, metaphysical Life span Self-regulation Ibmt |
| Key findings | The author reports that meditation-related changes in self-regulation can appear after only 5 days of practice, enabling randomized comparisons with relaxation training, with similar effects observed in Chinese and U.S. undergraduates, Chinese children aged 4.5 years and older, and Chinese participants aged 65 years. Neuroimaging findings suggest meditation improves activation and connectivity in self-regulation brain areas, which the author proposes may inform remediation of mental disorders. |
Abstract
The use of meditation to improve emotion and attention regulation has a long history in Asia and there are many practitioners in Western countries. Much of the evidence on the effectiveness of meditation is either anecdotal or a comparison of long-term meditators with controls matched in age and health. Recently, it has been possible to establish changes in self-regulation in undergraduate students after only 5 days of meditation practice, allowing randomized trials comparing effects of meditation with other self-control methods such as relaxation training. Early studies took place in Chinese universities; however, similar effects have been obtained with U.S. undergraduates, and with Chinese children aged 4.5 years and older Chinese participants aged 65 years. Studies using neuroimaging techniques have shown that meditation improves activation and connectivity in brain areas related to self-regulation, and these findings may provide an opportunity to examine remediation of mental disorders in a new light.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Real-time fMRI neurofeedback reduces auditory hallucinations and modulates resting state connectivity of involved brain regions: Part 2: Default mode network -preliminary evidence Psychiatry Research January 14, 2020
- Mindfulness for children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting (MindChamp): Protocol of a randomised controlled trial comparing a family Mindfulness-Based Intervention as an add-on to care-as-usual with care-as-usual only BMC Psychiatry July 25, 2018
- Impact of preksha meditation on alpha waves in EEG Indian Journal of Clinical Anatomy and Physiology December 20, 2018
- Application of Mindfulness Practices in Work on Stress Reduction during the War Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala June 30, 2023
- The convergent neuroscience of Christian prayer and attachment relationships in the context of mental health: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
and 12 more in the library
Cites 10
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Increased default mode network connectivity associated with meditation Neuroscience Letters October 28, 2010
- Tools of the trade: theory and method in mindfulness neuroscience. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience October 18, 2012
and 5 more in the library