Just Open Your Mind? A Randomized, Controlled Study on the Effects of Meditation on Creativity.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial with active and passive control groups.
PubMed 34276489 · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.663881
What was done
Participants were randomly assigned to one of three arms: an open monitoring meditation (OMM) group, an active control group listening to an audio narrative about house plants, or an inactive passive control group. Both active interventions were audio-guided and completed over a 2-week period. Pre- and post-intervention evaluations measured metaphor production, cognitive flexibility, psychological state, sustained attention, attention shifting, and intelligence.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or effect sizes. The authors found no statistically significant intra- or intergroup differences in creativity measures following OMM, and no correlation between metaphor creativity metrics and cognitive flexibility.
Why it matters
These null findings challenge prevailing assumptions that brief open monitoring meditation reliably enhances cognitive flexibility and creative metaphor production.
Limits
The abstract omits participant sample size, demographics, attrition rates, and adherence metrics. The intervention duration was short (2 weeks), relying exclusively on audio guidance, and creativity was operationalized primarily through metaphor production tasks rather than a broader creative assessment battery.
Cited by
- supports Scientific data examining the effects of open monitoring meditation or any meditation on creativity are very limited.