Mindfulness, attention, and flow during music listening: An empirical investigation
Psychology of Music September 27, 2011 DOI: 10.1177/0305735611415144 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 132 |
| Population | Students enrolled in music classes or ensembles at a comprehensive university in the southeastern United States |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation induction |
| Measures | Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI), questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 133 |
| Key findings | Questionnaire responses indicated that all conditions showed a subjective 'heightening' of attention during music listening compared with baseline, with no specific modification attributable to the mindfulness task. Yet most respondents in the mindfulness groups reported the task increased their ability to focus on the music without distraction. Composite CRDI graphs suggested unique response patterns by group, and verbal accounts suggested phenomenological differences between flow and aesthetic responses, each a unique positively valenced affective experience. |
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of a brief mindfulness meditation induction technique on perceived attention, aesthetic response, and flow during music listening as measured by Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) and questionnaire. Participants were students enrolled in music classes or ensembles at a comprehensive university in the southeastern United States ( N = 132), and were randomly assigned to one of four groups: mindfulness induction paired with aesthetic response ( n = 34), mindfulness induction paired with flow response ( n = 35), aesthetic response ( n = 32), or flow response ( n = 31). Responses to questionnaire items suggests that participants experienced a subjective ‘heightening’ of attention during music listening compared to baseline in all conditions, with no specific modification attributable to the mindfulness task. However, a majority of respondents in the mindfulness groups reported that the task had modified their listening experience by increasing their ability to focus on the music without distraction. Composite CRDI graphs suggest unique response patterns between groups based on both the presence of a mindfulness task as well as the construct for focus of attention. Additionally, verbal accounts suggest phenomenological differences between flow and aesthetic responses, with each accounting for a unique type of heightened and positively valenced affective experience.
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 17
- Mind fulness and Music: A Promising Subject of an Unmapped Field International Journal of Behavioral Research & Psychology April 12, 2014
- Integrative perspectives on mindfulness, music and music therapy: A literature review Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy August 19, 2021
- An Eight-Week Zen Meditation and Music Programme for Mindfulness and Happiness: Qualitative Content Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health December 4, 2023
- https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=ijts-transpersonalstudies International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 2015
- Mindfulness in face recognition: Embedding mindfulness instructions in the face‐composite construction process Applied Cognitive Psychology April 4, 2021
and 12 more in the library
Cites 6
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention Mental Health, Religion & Culture May 1, 1999
- Mindfulness Research Update: 2008. Complementary health practice review January 1, 2009
- Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences April 1, 2008
and 1 more in the library