Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing

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A Link Between Time Perception and the Effectiveness of Meditation


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1 Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, United States
     

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Recent research suggests that meditation is a healthy way to cope with stress and anxiety, but it is also important to focus on how individual differences affect the productivity of those meditation practices. This study tests the hypothesis that future-oriented and past-oriented people will benefit more from meditation than present-oriented people. In Study 1, students (n = 228), participated in a 10-minute meditation session and took an anxiety scale afterwards. The participants then took an online survey to measure the degree of their past, present, and future time perspectives. In Study 2, students (n = 195), completed three online surveys and participated in a 10-minute meditation afterwards session at a later date. The results of the study showed that past time perspective was associated with lower post-mindfulness anxiety (Study 1) and greater reductions in anxiety due to meditation (Study 2), whereas both present and future time perspectives were not related to post-meditation anxiety or anxiety reduction.

Keywords

Meditation, Stress, Anxiety, Time Perception, Students.
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  • A Link Between Time Perception and the Effectiveness of Meditation

Abstract Views: 349  |  PDF Views: 1

Authors

Savannah Martha
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, United States
Jonathan S. Gore
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, United States

Abstract


Recent research suggests that meditation is a healthy way to cope with stress and anxiety, but it is also important to focus on how individual differences affect the productivity of those meditation practices. This study tests the hypothesis that future-oriented and past-oriented people will benefit more from meditation than present-oriented people. In Study 1, students (n = 228), participated in a 10-minute meditation session and took an anxiety scale afterwards. The participants then took an online survey to measure the degree of their past, present, and future time perspectives. In Study 2, students (n = 195), completed three online surveys and participated in a 10-minute meditation afterwards session at a later date. The results of the study showed that past time perspective was associated with lower post-mindfulness anxiety (Study 1) and greater reductions in anxiety due to meditation (Study 2), whereas both present and future time perspectives were not related to post-meditation anxiety or anxiety reduction.

Keywords


Meditation, Stress, Anxiety, Time Perception, Students.

References