Initial results from a study of the effects of meditation on multitasking performance

Authors:
David M. Levy;Jacob O. Wobbrock;Alfred W. Kaszniak;Marilyn Ostergren
Affiliations:
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA;University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Venue:
CHI '11 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Year:
2011

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Abstract

This paper reports initial results from a study exploring whether training in meditation or relaxation can improve office workers' ability to multitask on a computer more effectively andor with less stress. Human resource (HR) personnel were given 8 weeks of training in either mindfulness meditation or body relaxation techniques, and were given a stressful multitasking test both before and after training. (A third group, a control group, received no intervention during the 8-week period but was tested both before and after this period.) Results indicate that overall task time and errors did not differ significantly among the three groups. However, the meditation group reported lower levels of stress and showed better memory for the tasks they had performed; they also switched tasks less often and remained focused on tasks longer.