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J Camosun Psyc Res. (2021). Vol. 3(1), pp. 32-40.
Submitted Fall 2020; accepted July 2021.

How Meditation Positively Affects the Brain
Authors: Halle Whitfield*
Supervising Instructor: Michael Pollock, Psyc 215 (“Biological Psychology”)
Department of Psychology, Camosun College, 3100 Foul Bay Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5J2
*Corresponding author email: hwhitfield13@live.ca

ABSTRACT
In this paper, meditation was examined to determine the influence it has on avoiding bad
habits and embracing more of the positive in life. Previous research indicates that stress
reduction, a lengthened attention span, and disengaged addictions are all beneficial side effects
of meditating. In my first (correlational) study, the strength of these relationships was tested by
examining naturalistic daily changes in their variables longitudinally over a two-week period.
Stress reduction was measured by calculating the amount of self-reported stress experienced each
day, attention span was measured through the PEBLs “Attention Network Test”, addictions were
measured by tallying the number of times nicotine was used, and the amount of time spent
meditating was measured. My results showed significant negative correlations of time spent
meditating with stress and nicotine consumption, but not with attention span. Based on the
strength of correlation found between time spent meditating and nicotine consumption in the
correlational study, a second (experimental) study was conducted to test for specifically a causal
relationship between these two variables. Over a two-week period, the participant was assigned
on alternate days to either a half hour long meditation condition or a zero-meditation condition
and on each day nicotine use was measured. The results of the experimental study successfully
established an ability of meditation to reduce nicotine consumption.
1. Introduction

1.1 Research Problem
Meditation is said to allow an individual
to have better control over and even
restructure their brain (McGonigal, 2010).
As humans, we often let our untrained minds
dictate us throughout the day. Sometimes
this can be especially detrimental to our
mental wellbeing if those thoughts are
negatively stress inducing. Concentrating
difficulties are prevalent with the rise of
such easily accessible information at our

fingertips that focusing on a task for long
periods of time can be problematic.
Meditation may help to lengthen attention
span. An untrained mind may also impair
self-control and result in compulsive
behaviours. Mediation seeks to undo
addictions through the power of selfdiscipline. This paper hopes to identify the
benefits of meditation on the brain, so that
the common issues humanity has been
increasingly battling can be resolved.
1.2 Literature Review

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Former research shows that meditation
can be a powerful tool for alleviating
physiological stress levels. Creswell et al.
(2014) conducted a study in brief
mindfulness meditation training was
arranged consecutively (75 minutes over 3)
days for the experimental group out of the
total 66 participants. The meditations were
guided, and participants were asked to focus
on breath awareness labelling their inhales
and exhales. Psychological stress levels
were reported through self-reported
questionaries both before and after training.
Biological stress was measured through
blood pressure and cortisol levels in saliva
on the third day after giving a speech and
partaking in an arithmetic task. The results
indicated that self-reported stress decreased
(p = .038) for those who were assigned
meditation training, and that cortisol
reactivity responses increased (p = .04) to
the stress tests especially for those not
previously experienced with mindfulness.
However, blood pressure was not found to
have significant effects. Based on these
results, mindfulness in small measures can
reduce stress levels both on a psychological
and a biological level.
Another previously examined beneficial
factor of meditation is its ability to lengthen
attention span by allowing an individual to
have better control over their wandering
thoughts. Bauer et al. (2019) wanted to
determine the changes that occur between
the default mode network (DMN) and the
central executive network (CEN) before,
during, and after meditation in experienced
practisers. The 33 participants were divided
into experienced and non-experienced
groups and given fMRI scans to determine
connectivity 5 minutes pre, 20 minutes
engaged in eyes open resting state, and 5
minutes post, with an additional 20 minutes
eyes open engaged in meditation for only the
experienced group. Significant activity

reduction was observed in various nodes
within the DMN, specifically the meditators
with more than 3 years of practice. These
findings suggest that the brain is able to gain
a better focus of attention span, especially
over time, with meditation.
A final finding is that meditation has
shown to treat addiction. Tang, Tang, and
Posner (2016) explored the self-control of
59 participants, both smokers and nonsmokers, after mindful meditation to test if it
would reduce cravings. Each group was
assigned 5 hours of training over two weeks
with the first assigned to integrative bodymind meditation and the second assigned to
relaxation training. Each participant was
subject to a self-reported smoking/craving
survey and CO monitoring, as well as an
fMRI, fractional fALFF, and a MPRAGE
sequence to map brain activity before and
after the training. The smokers in the
meditation assigned group had significantly
lower CO levels (P < 0.01), lower selfreported craving scores (P < 0.01), and
increased activity in many parts of the brain
(the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior
cingulate cortex which regulate decision
making and impulse control, the
ventrolateral prefrontal cortex which is
associated with response inhibition and goalappropriate response selection) (P < 0.05).
The smokers in the relaxation group did not
have significant results to indicate smoking
reduction (P > 0.05), or increased activity in
craving reduction brain regions (P > 0.05). It
is possible that mindful meditation can
improve impulse control, and thus be a tool
for diminishing addiction.
1.3 Hypotheses
Based on the above literature review, the
following hypotheses are predicted:

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• Hypothesis #1: If the time spent
practicing meditation increases then the
attention span increases
• Hypothesis #2: If the time spent
practicing meditation increases then stress
decreases
• Hypothesis #3: If the time spent
practicing meditation increases then the
addiction to nicotine decreases.
2. Methods
2.1 Participant
The author of this paper served as the
single participant in its studies. The
participant is 21-year-old female. The
participant is an undergraduate student at
Camosun College who completed the
current studies as an assignment for Psyc
215 (“Biological Psychology”) and was
interested in the positive biological impact
of meditation on the brain. The participant is
a regular nicotine user.
2.2 Materials and Procedure

2.2.1 Correlational Study Methods
A correlational study was performed to
test concurrently all hypotheses by
examining naturalistic daily changes in the
variables longitudinally. The participant kept
a study journal with them at all times over
this study’s two-week period in order to
record self-observations of the following 4
variables: (1) attention, (2) stress, (3)
addiction, and (4) time spent meditating.
To measure the level of attention, the
Attention Network Test found under the
filename “ANT” by PEBL was used. The
test is used to quantify activity within the
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior
parietal cortex by asking the participant to
watch a screen and click the correct shift

button when the cue is shown on screen.
Arrows and visual stimulus are used to
influence the participants attention. Each
day of the study the participant used the test
in the early afternoon around work schedule
and class times.
To measure stress, the participant
recorded in their study journal on a scale
from 0-100 how much stress they felt three
times per day; after waking, around midday, and before sleeping. The possible
values on this stress scale ranged from not
stressed at all (a score of 0) to extremely
stressed (a score of 100). The average stress
of each day will be calculated by adding
each stress score and dividing the total by
300, and then multiplying that score by 100.
To measure addiction to nicotine the
participant simply recorded in their study
journal the number of times they used
nicotine each day.
To best measure the time spent
meditating the participant recorded in their
journal the number of minutes they spent
meditating each day.
To assess the strength and statistical
significance of associations between
variable between variables predicted by the
hypotheses, the researcher performed
Pearson product moment correlations of
their predictor variables (increased time
spent meditating) with their outcome
variables (increased attention span, lower
stress, and reduced addiction to nicotine).
For testing hypothesis #1, the results from
the attention network span test were
correlated with the participants time spent
meditating score of the same day. For testing
hypothesis #2, the daily measure of stress
was correlated with the participants time
spent meditating score of the same day. For
testing hypothesis #3, the number of times
the participant used nicotine each day was
correlated with the participants time spent
meditating score of the same day. A
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correlation coefficient was considered
statistically significant if the probability of
its random occurrence (p) was < .05 (i.e.,less
than 5% of the time expected by chance
alone).
2.2.2 Experimental Study Methods
Based on the strength of the correlation
between meditation and nicotine
consumption found in the correlational
study, an experimental study was then
conducted to test for a causal relationship
between these two variables from
Hypothesis #3: If the time spent practicing
meditation increases then the addiction to
nicotine decreases.
The independent variable, time spent
meditating, was manipulated over a twoweek period by randomly assigning the
participant each day to either a half hour
long experimental condition or a zeromediation practice condition. On moderate
mediation experimental days, the participant
followed a half hour long mediation practice
in the morning (quiet space, laying with eyes
closed and focusing on breath). On control
days the participant didn’t practice at all.
The experimental time chosen was based on
the highest amount of time naturally
practiced within the correlation study.
To avoid order effects, a counterbalance
procedure was followed, and the participant
alternated between experimental and control
days. Placebo effects and experimenter
expectancy effects were difficult to avoid as
the one participant was also the lone
researcher. However, an additional craving
journal recording measure was added. This
scale measured cravings from 1(not craving)
to 10 (extreme cravings) each day over the
two week period.
To assess the statistical significance of
differences seen in nicotine consumption on
moderate mediation experimental days vs.
zero meditation control days, t-tests were

performed. An average difference between
conditions was considered statistically
significant if, using a two-tailed distribution
(i.e., allowing this difference to be positive
or negative), the probability of its random
occurrence (p) was < .05 (i.e., less than 5%
of the time expected by chance alone).
3. Results
3.1 Correlational Study Results
As shown in Table 1, both stress and
nicotine consumption were significantly
correlated with time spent meditating. Stress
showed a significant negative correlation (r
≤ -.65, p ≥ 0.0114 see Figure 1) with a mean
of 29.14, as did nicotine consumption (r ≤ .69, p ≥ 0.004 see Figure 2) with a mean of
26.85 nicotine uses per day. However,
attention span did not show statistical
significance with meditation (r ≤ .51, p ≥
0.06 see Figure 3). Based on a comparison
of the correlation coefficients using raw
data, time spent meditating showed the
strongest correlation with nicotine
consumption.
3.2 Experimental Study Results
As presented in Table 2, a significant
difference was found in nicotine
consumption between the moderate
meditation condition (30 minutes of
practice) and control meditation condition
(no practice) (p = 0.0056; see Figure 4).
4. Discussion
4.1 Summary of Results
Based on previous research, we
hypothesized that increases in the meditation
would be followed by positive effects:
increased attention span (Hypothesis #1),
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lower stress levels (Hypothesis #2), and
lowered dependence on nicotine (Hypothesis
#3). Data from the correlational study
supported the predicted relationship of time
spent meditating with stress and dependence
on nicotine (Hypotheses #2&3) but not with
attention span (Hypothesis #1). Data from
the experimental study confirmed that the
relationship between time spent meditating
and dependence on nicotine (Hypothesis #3)
was a causal relationship.
4.2 Relation of Results to Past Research
This correlational study failed to confirm
the relationship between time spent
meditating and attention span reported by
previous research. Bauer et al. (2019) found
that participants who meditated had a
significant reduction of activity within nodes
of the DMN through performing various
brain scans. These regions of the brain are
typically associated with attention span, and
decreasing activity allows for better control
over the DMN. However, their findings also
suggested more control in those with three
years of experience or more. This is
important to note as the single participant
while being well aware of mediating over
the past half decade did not practice
regularly. Additionally, the participant of the
present study did not recognize a noticeable
difference in attention span on days they had
or had not meditated. The methods of the
current study and that of Bauer et al. (2019)
differed reasonably. While this study used a
fairly simple attention testing technique,
theirs had utilized several reliable brain
scanning devices. Their observation that the
more experienced participants were with
meditation showed significantly higher
changes in brain activity likely impacted the
success of their results, in comparison to this
study which had one relatively
unexperienced participant. Further studies

with larger sample sizes and diversely
experienced participants should be
conducted to examine the effects of
meditating on attention span.
The moderate correlation found between
mediation and stress in this study is
consistent with past research. Creswell et al.
(2014) was able to find a decrease in cortisol
levels as well as lowered self-reported
psychological stress levels in their 66
participants. While the Creswell et al. (2014)
study was able to discover lower stress on
both a psychological and biological level,
this study was able to support the
psychological evidence as it also used selfreported measures. The similarity of results
between this previous study and this suggest
that there is a strong relationship that exists
between increased time spent mediating and
lowered stress levels.
The ability of this study to establish its
strongest relationship between nicotine
consumption and meditating is also
supported by previous investigations. The
study by Tang, Tang, and Posner (2016) was
able to provide self-reported evidence and
increased brain activity within several brain
regions associated with decision-making and
impulse control in smokers who undertook
meditation training, which essentially
improved their impulse control. Likewise,
this study found a significant correlation
between time spent mediating and less
nicotine use. While their study was able to
provide exact CO levels in the bloodstream
as well as brain map sequencing, selfreported measures were utilized by both.
Although there are substantial differences in
methods, the results of this study are
nonetheless in support of the relation
between mediating and addiction to nicotine.
4.3 Implications of Results

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The findings of the experiment infer that
meditating may assist impulse control that is
necessary for quitting an addiction to
nicotine. However, considering the
extremely small sample size, and absence of
multiple models of data collection
techniques, the results may have been
affected by invalid methodology. The
correlation between meditation and stress
suggests that with further experimental
research, causation may be found as it was
with meditation on nicotine impulse.
Attention span did not provide an adequate
correlation with meditation, therefore more
research must be successfully completed to
further support this hypothesis.
The current study aimed to explore
just a few considered positive benefits of
mediation on brain mechanisms. Based on
the experimental results, it can be assumed
that meditating may indeed be a utilizable
tool for those hoping to quit their smoking
habits. Further studies may provide
additional support of this specific
hypothesis. However, meditation evidently
showcases its positive influence on brain
structures and should be recommended as a
method for those looking to promote their
mental health.

References
Bauer, C. C. C., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Díaz,
J. L., Pasaye, E. H., & Barrios, F. A.
(2019). From State-to-trait meditation:
Reconfiguration of central executive and
default mode networks. ENeuro, 6(6).
https://doiorg.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/10.152
3/ENEURO.0335-18.2019
Creswell, J. D., Pacilio, L. E., Lindsay, E.
K., & Brown, K. W. (2014). Brief
mindfulness meditation training alters
psychological and neuroendocrine
responses to social evaluative stress.
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 44, 1-12.
doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.02.007
McGonigal, K. (2010). Your brain on
meditation. Yoga Journal, 229, 68–97.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25142566/
Tang, Y.-Y., Tang, R., & Posner, M. I.
(2013). Mindfulness meditation improves
emotion regulation and reduces drug
abuse. Drug and Alcohol Dependence,
163(Suppl 1), S13–S18. https://doiorg.libsecure.camosun.bc.ca:2443/10.101
6/j.drugalcdep.2015.11.041

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Table 1
Correlation coefficient (r) values, with number of daily trials (n) per correlation in brackets.

Variables correlated

Participant #1

Attention span & time spent meditating

.51(14)

Stress & time spent meditating

-.65(14)*

Addiction to nicotine & time spent
meditating

-0.69(14)*

* p < .05.

Table 2
Descriptive statistics on nicotine consumption between the moderate meditation condition and
control meditation condition.
Condition

Statistic

Moderate meditation
(30 minutes)

Mean
SD
n
Mean
SD
n

Control meditation
(0 minutes)

Nicotine consumption
22.57*
2.07
7
26
1.732
7

* p < .05.

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Figure 1
Scatterplot of daily time spent meditating and stress

Figure 2
Scatterplot of daily time spent meditating and nicotine consumption

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Figure 3
Scatterplot of daily time spent meditating and attention span

Figure 4
Bar graph of time spent meditating and nicotine consumption, with error bars showing ± 95%
confidence levels, and with an overlapping scatterplot of data.

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