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Mindfulness Is in the Eye of the Machine

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Human and Artificial Rationalities (HAR 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 14522))

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Abstract

Mindfulness can be defined relative to mind-wandering, while the former is associated with focused attention and enhanced monitoring of conscious experience, the latter corresponds to a process of distraction. The aim of this human-machine interaction study was to investigate the ocular correlates of the state of mindfulness by comparing it with mind-wandering and resting-state. To this end, experienced meditators and nonmeditators performed a point-fixation task while carrying out three different actions: meditating, reflecting on a philosophical question, and resting. Meditating induced mindfulness, reflecting induced mind-wandering, and resting-induced a resting-state. Eye movement recordings revealed a decrease in microsaccade amplitude and velocity during the meditation task, compared with the other two tasks. Participants also blinked more during the reflecting task than during the other two tasks, especially those in the experienced meditator group. These results suggest that microsaccades are indicators of sustained attention, and blinking of distraction, meaning that it may be possible to detect mind-wandering episodes versus states of mindfulness. Detection of this episodes will be used to develop a biofeedback device to learn mindfulness meditation.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A state of distraction can occur during mindfulness practice. It is characterized by self-generated mental activity that arises spontaneously, and is associated with the individual’s concerns and hopes, rather than with immediate perceptions of the environment [8, 9].

  2. 2.

    This method was preferred to that of recalling autobiographical episodes, as it reduces the risk of strong emotional activation in participants. It also homogenizes the mind-wandering that is elicited, as all undergo the same induction process.

  3. 3.

    The data are available on the online repository at https://osf.io/w3qhf/?view_only=f31bdb4e351040d19c5047c8481dc727.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Pr. J. Baratgin for his advice, F. Gonzalez for her contribution to this study, and E. Portier for proofreading.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UPL, Univ Paris 8, CHArt, 93526, Saint-Denis, France

    Léa Lachaud & Geoffrey Tissier

  2. Univ Paris Est Créteil, CHArt, 94380, Bonneuil, France

    Léa Lachaud & Ugo Ballenghein

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  1. Léa Lachaud
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  2. Geoffrey Tissier
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Correspondence to Léa Lachaud .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Université Paris 8, Saint Denis, France

    Jean Baratgin

  2. Université Paris 8, Saint-Denis, France

    Baptiste Jacquet

  3. Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan

    Hiroshi Yama

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Lachaud, L., Tissier, G., Ballenghein, U. (2024). Mindfulness Is in the Eye of the Machine. In: Baratgin, J., Jacquet, B., Yama, H. (eds) Human and Artificial Rationalities. HAR 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14522. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55245-8_15

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