Finding Calm: Meditation vs. Mobile Games

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this study is to determine whether meditation or mobile games are more effective in activating calming brain waves. Methods/Materials 40 subjects, a Muse meditation application on an ipad, Two Dots game application on an iphone, and a portable electroencephalogram. Subjects were tested in two sessions with a washout period in between. Subjects were randomized to meditate or play the mobile game for 5 minutes, while the electroencephalogram measured the brain waves. After a washout period, the subjects performed the opposite task. MUSE brain sensing EEG headband (InterAxon Inc.), disposable alcohol wipes. Results The p-value of the two tailed t-test indicated that negligible carryover effects existed from one treatment to the next. Another two tailed t-test was performed to test for differences within subjects and identify which treatment resulted in more seconds of calm. The p-value revealed that differences in treatment effects were significant. The average duration of calm for meditation was 197 seconds out of 300 and 164 seconds out of 300 for mobile games. Conclusions/Discussion The results supported my hypothesis that meditation would be more calming than mobile games. Meditation is more effective in achieving a calmer state of mind than mobile games because it produces more gamma brain waves, which are beneficial in improving memory recall, sensory perception, and focus. Mobile games, however, still activated gamma brain waves, which indicate high levels of calm. Knowing that mobile games also produce a calming effect is useful because one can calm themselves in a noisy and crowded environment by playing a mobile game, when meditation may not be feasible or socially acceptable.

Competition history

• CSEF 2018 Mammalian Biology · Entry J1321

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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