Mindful about meditation: Research suggests repetition of tasks, rather than mindfulness, impacts perception of time

Mindfulness meditation is often promoted to help slow down time and reduce feelings of time pressure.

New research led by University of Northampton (UON) suggests that the sensation of time stretching after short meditation sessions may not be due to mindfulness itself and may instead be explained by doing the same task twice.

Mindful exercises involve focusing on the here and now in an open and non-judgmental manner to increase our sense of time, place and easing time-related stress. Examples include breathing exercises and visualisation.

In a series of experiments involving more than 300 participants, researchers investigated whether brief, five-minute meditation exercises genuinely change how people perceive time, or whether previously reported effects are driven by task repetition and relaxation.

They found that participants tended to judge durations as longer the second time they completed the task, regardless of whether they had meditated, relaxed, or done nothing at all.

As people become more familiar with the task and less distracted or stressed, they may attend more closely to the passage of time, making the intervals feel longer.

Dr Matthew Hopkins, Lecturer in Evolutionary and Biological Psychology at University of Northampton, led the research, with colleagues from University of Swansea. He says: “Our findings raise important questions about claims made by mindfulness apps and short guided meditations, especially those marketed to beginners.

“This does not mean meditation lacks value. Relaxation and increased attention can still reduce stress and improve wellbeing. But when it comes to altering time perception, our findings suggest practice effects matter and should not be mistaken for meditation effects.”

Read the full research paper here.

Find out more about University of Northampton’s Centre for Psychological and Social Sciences.