Meditation is a practice that promotes emotional calmness and mental clarity. Meditation has become therapeutic to many, relieving stress, relaxing, and promoting well-being. It combines mental and physical practices that produce emotional impacts.
In the research article titled “Dynamic Cognitive Inhibition in the Context of Frustration: Increasing Racial Representation of Adolescent Athletes Using Mobile community-engaged EEG Methods,” various researchers, including Dr. Caitlin M. Hudac, investigated two objectives. The first objective was the impact of adverse effects on cognitive inhibition. Specifically, they explored negative emotions like frustration and the impact of this on youth athletes. The second objective was to address the lack of black representation in neuroscience research on brain and sports injuries. The study used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess brain activity related to cognitive inhibition during frustration induction. Twenty-three athletes were evaluated during the pre-season, and then 17 athletes were reassessed during the postseason. The findings suggest that frustration inductions impacted cognitive inhibition. Frustrations led to decreased N2 amplitude and slower N2 latency, which indicated that their emotions interfered with their cognitive control. It also seems this effect was more significant during the pre-season, with a steady decrease in N2 amplitude. Exploratory analyses show that athletes with a history of concussion or migraines showed lower responses to frustration induction, whereas those with mental health disorders showed more significant responses.
In the article “Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Emotion Processing,” researchers explored the effects of brief 15-minute mindfulness meditation (BMM) on mood and emotion processing. The study involved forty-six healthy participants, aged 18-25 years old, in which they were randomly assigned to either the BMM group or the ERE (emotional regulation education) control group. Those in the BMM group practiced JW2016 (a 15-minute BMM they created), which lasted seven consecutive days. The mood was assessed by the CED-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) and the SAI (State Anxiety Inventory). Researchers found significant improvement in the BMM group. They saw reduced emotional intensity, faster response times, and reduced attention bias.
Both studies explored the effects of interventions on emotional regulations and cognitive processes. They highlighted how emotions can influence cognitive functioning. The first study examined the impact of frustration on cognitive inhibition. The study found that frustration led to decreased N2 amplitude and slower N2 latency. This suggests that negative emotions like frustration interfere with cognitive control. The second study examined the effects of brief 15-minute mindfulness meditation on mood and emotional processing. Researchers found that the BMM group improved emotional regulation. This included reduced emotional intensity, faster response times for emotional memory, and reduced attentional bias. Both studies underscore the importance of emotional regulation. One study focused on the negative impacts of frustration on cognitive control, whereas the other study focused on the benefits of mindfulness meditation for improving emotional processing. Both studies do, however, raise questions about potential limitations. Would long-term interventions be more effective in sustaining observed benefits? Could other factors, such as individual differences, influence cognitive inhibition or emotional processing?
I mentioned the study on brief mindfulness meditation because I recently tried a short meditation session myself. After 15 minutes, I felt a sense of calmness and clarity that had reset my mind. This brief experience made me curious about how mindfulness meditation affects our emotional regulation and well-being. I find myself incorporating meditation sessions into my routine.
References:
Hudac CM, Wallace JS, Ward VR, Friedman NR, Delfin D and Newman SD (2022) Dynamic cognitive inhibition in the context of frustration: Increasing racial representation of adolescent athletes using mobile community-engaged EEG methods. Front. Neurol. 13:918075. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.918075
Wu, R., Liu, L.-L., Zhu, H., Su, W.-J., Cao, Z.-Y., Zhong, S.-Y., Liu, X.-H., & Jiang, C.-L. (2019, October 10). Brief mindfulness meditation improves emotion processing. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6795685/
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