Meditation, Music, and Flow: A Comparison of the Effects of Meditation and Music in Inducing “Flow” and Impacting Computer Game Performance in Indian Teenagers

Abstract

The research topic of we studied was the experience of flow, which refers to a state of total ab-sorption in an activity, and how to induce it in order to optimize performance. The overall re-search aim was to conduct an in-depth analysis of the impact of meditation and music in induc-ing a flow state for Indian high school students and the concomitant effect on their perfor-mance. Using an experimental approach, we divided participants into 3 groups: Control Group, Meditation Group, and Music Group. We measured he effects of the interventions on the partic-ipants’ performance based on the changes between the scores of two rounds of playing Temple Run (an online game). We measured the game timings during the first and second rounds using a stopwatch provided by the game. The results were statistically insignificant for all three groups; the interventions had a minuscule effect on average performance and flow experience. There also wasn’t any indication of a positive relationship between flow experience and game performance. However, individual analysis showed a positive relationship between frequent meditation and performance and flow. There was also evidence of attentional focus and music between 50 and 80 BPM improving performance and inducing a flow experience. Performance pressure causing stress for participants negatively impacted both performance and flow, and so did inexperience with meditation. Also, music with lyrics and distance from the 50-80 BPM range had a similarly negative effect on both performances. This study has implications in clin-ical diagnoses regarding the customized prescription of therapeutic interventions and experi-mental fields concerning person-activity fit.