Biofeedback and meditation: effects on muscle tension and locus of control.
L D Zaichkowsky, R Kamen
Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1978 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1978.46.3.955 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Participants in a relaxation experiment (further characteristics not stated) |
| Interventions | Frontalis muscle EMG biofeedback Transcendental Meditation |
| Measures | frontalis muscle EMG, locus of control |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | All three relaxation treatments—frontalis EMG biofeedback, Transcendental Meditation, and the Benson meditation technique—significantly reduced frontalis muscle tension compared with a control. Only biofeedback was accompanied by a shift toward an internal locus of control. |
Abstract
A total of 48 subjects participated in a relaxation experiment to determine whether frontalis muscle EMG biofeedback, Transcendental Meditation, and meditation (Benson technique) produced decreased muscle tension and concomitant changes in locus of control. All three treatments resulted in significant decreases in frontalis muscle tension when compared to a control. Concomitant changes towards an internal locus of control occurred only in the subjects given biofeedback.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Transcendental meditation: a double-edged sword in epilepsy? Epilepsy & Behavior November 1, 2006
- Effects of expectancy on physiological responsivity in novice meditators. Biological Psychology September 1, 1985
- Physiological responses during meditation and rest. Biofeedback and self-regulation June 1, 1984