Metabolic and EEG changes during transcendental meditation: an explanation.
P B Fenwick, S Donaldson, L Gillis, J Bushman, G W Fenton, I Perry, C Tilsley, H Serafinowicz
Biological Psychology June 1977 DOI: 10.1016/0301-0511(77)90007-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Transcendental meditators, non-meditators, and meditators listening to music; a fasting meditator group in Experiment I |
| Interventions | Transcendental meditation Listening to music |
| Measures | Oxygen uptake, Carbon dioxide production, EEG |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The drops in oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production during transcendental meditation were confirmed, but the authors report they were physiologically small and of the magnitude expected from muscle relaxation. EEG results indicated meditation held consciousness at stage 'onset' sleep, and the authors found no evidence of a hypometabolic state beyond muscle relaxation or of a fourth stage of consciousness. |
Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to measure the oxygen uptake (Experiment II) and the carbon dioxide production (Experiment I) during transcendental meditation. A control group of non-meditators and a few meditators listening to music was used for both experiments. In Experiment I, a controlled group of fasting meditators was also included. A drop in oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, found by previous authors during transcendental meditation, was confirmed. It was, however, possible to show that these drops were physiologically of small significance, and were of the magnitude to be expected from muscle relaxation. EEG recordings were taken during Experiment II in the meditating group. The EEG results showed transcendental meditation to be a method of holding the mediator's level of consciousness at stage 'onset' sleep. No evidence could be found to suggest that meditation produced a hypometabolic state beyond that produced by muscle relaxation and there was no evidence that the EEG changes were different from those observed in stage 'onset' sleep. No support was found for the idea that transcendental meditation is a fourth stage of consciousness.
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 23
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives Frontiers in Psychology 2014
- A Methodological Review of Meditation Research Frontiers in Psychiatry July 1, 2014
- Oxygen Consumption Changes With Yoga Practices Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine July 17, 2013
- A systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of fMRI studies on arousing or wake-promoting effects in Buddhist meditation Frontiers in Psychology October 27, 2023
and 18 more in the library