What Confucius practiced is good for your mind: Examining the effect of a contemplative practice in Confucian tradition on executive functions |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, SE-751 42 Uppsala, Sweden;2. Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Box 514, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden;1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, RI, United States;2. Virtues of Attention Project, New York University, New York, United States;3. Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States;4. Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Recovery Services, Cheshire County Department of Corrections, Keene, NH, United States;5. Stanley Street Treatment and Resource, Fall River, MA, United States;6. Department of Psychology, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, United States;7. Cogut Center for the Humanities, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States;1. Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia;2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia;3. Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia;4. Neuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program, Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, School of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia;5. Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia |
| |
| Abstract: | The short-term training effects on various executive functions (EFs) by a movement-based contemplative practice (MBCP) are examined. Three aspects of EFs (working memory capacity, inhibition, switching) are assessed before and after a month-long 12-h training period using Body-Mind Axial Awareness (BMAA) principles that Confucius followers have practiced for more than 2000 years. A mindfulness-based practice (Chan-meditation) and a waiting-list control group served as contrast groups. Our results showed that the BMAA group performed better on the task that measured working memory capacity than did the Chan-meditation and the waiting-list groups after training. In addition, the Chan-meditation groups outperformed the control group on attentional switching, a novel finding for this kind of practice. Our findings not only show a new effect of short-term MBCPs on EFs, but also indicate movement-based and mindfulness-based contemplative practices might benefit development of various aspects of EFs in different ways. |
| |
| Keywords: | Ya-Yue Meditation Mindfulness training Movement-based contemplative training Executive function The body-mind axis |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
