关键词: 正念冥想, 走神, 神经机制

Abstract:

Mind wandering is a common psychological phenomenon that we commonly face in our daily lives, and it can have negative effects, such as increasing the incidence of car accidents and affecting academic performance. Given the adverse effects of mind wandering on people, it is particularly important to adopt a reasonable intervention to mitigate the negative effects of mind wandering. Mindfulness meditation as a form of intervention has gained traction in recent years. In order to investigate the effects of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering and its mechanism, based on a systematic review of previous studies, the present study summarized the effects of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering from different perspectives, such as training duration, training format, the setting of the controlled group, and different groups. Combining the two aspects of neural mechanism and related theoretical models, the mechanism of mindfulness meditation to improve mind wandering was also explained. First of all, there are different training durations for mindfulness meditation, such as 8 minutes, 4 days, 8 weeks or even longer. This study analyzed the effects of different training durations of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering, and clarified that different training durations of mindfulness meditation have different effects on the improvement of mind wandering, and fewer longitudinal studies have been used in the past. Second, there are many forms of training for mindfulness meditation, such as mindful breathing exercise, sitting meditation, and body scan. This study found that different forms of mindfulness meditation have different effects on mind wandering by comparing different studies. Third, most of the previous related studies were examined in the form of randomized experimental group and controlled group. Based on the examination of different controlled groups, it is clear that it is important to use appropriate controlled group in the study of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering, such as the use of controlled group by considering active controlled group and passive controlled group. This method is conducive to avoiding the interference of additional variables and highlighting the effect of mindfulness meditation. Fourth, by examining different groups, it was also found that the degree of effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in reducing mind wandering may depend on the characteristics of the target group. For example, the researcher's study on the normal group found that mindfulness meditation reduced the occurrence of mind wandering. In contrast, for individuals with negative emotions, the improvement of mind wandering by mindfulness meditation was shown to be protective. Fifth, by measuring the changes in neural mechanisms before and after the intervention, for example, EEG components such as alpha and beta, ERP components such as N2, P3, and MMN, and the default mode network in the brain, we explained the mechanism of action of mindfulness meditation to improve mind wandering from the perspective of neural mechanisms. Sixth, combining the natural cognitive fluctuation model and the cycle of meditation and mind wandering, the present study found that the improvement of mind wandering by mindfulness meditation works through different stages, such as attentional modulation, meta-consciousness enhancement, and the calming thought. These stages do not necessarily occur in a sequential manner, and the applicability of these stages to other forms of mindfulness meditation needs to be verified. Previous studies have defined mind wandering as a single structure and directly examined the effects of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering, without distinguishing between intentional and unintentional mind wandering. Future research should continue to delve deeper and clarify the effects of mindfulness meditation on different types of mind wandering. In addition, previous studies have examined the effects of a single form of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering, neglecting a direct comparison of the effects of different forms of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering. In the future, it is possible to directly compare the effects of different forms of mindfulness meditation on mind wandering, in order to clarify the most effective form of improving mind wandering, and to determine the most effective duration of different forms of mindfulness meditation interventions. In the future, we can also continue to explore the underlying mechanisms, such as understanding the time course of the effects of mindfulness meditation, exploring the reasons for the differences between different processes, and validating the different stages of mindfulness meditation to improve mind wandering, so as to validate and improve the existing theoretical models.

Key words: mindfulness meditation, mind wandering, neural mechanism