Mindfulness, attention, and flow during music listening: An empirical investigation

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a brief mindfulness meditation induction technique on perceived attention, aesthetic response, and flow during music listening as measured by Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) and questionnaire. Participants were students enrolled in music classes or ensembles at a comprehensive university in the southeastern United States (N = 132), and were randomly assigned to one of four groups: mindfulness induction paired with aesthetic response (n = 34), mindfulness induction paired with flow response (n = 35), aesthetic response (n = 32), or flow response (n = 31). Responses to questionnaire items suggests that participants experienced a subjective ‘heightening’ of attention during music listening compared to baseline in all conditions, with no specific modification attributable to the mindfulness task. However, a majority of respondents in the mindfulness groups reported that the task had modified their listening experience by increasing their ability to focus on the music without distraction. Composite CRDI graphs suggest unique response patterns between groups based on both the presence of a mindfulness task as well as the construct for focus of attention. Additionally, verbal accounts suggest phenomenological differences between flow and aesthetic responses, with each accounting for a unique type of heightened and positively valenced affective experience.

The Observing Facet of Trait Mindfulness Predicts Frequency of Aesthetic Experiences Evoked by the Arts

“…Based on theoretical considerations and the findings from a previous study (Diaz, 2013), we investigated whether there was an association between trait mindfulness and frequency of aesthetic states in response to the arts. We report the novel finding that, in accordance with our prediction, the Observing facet of mindfulness positively predicted the frequency of occurrence of aesthetic states, while controlling for aesthetic expertise…”

“…Perceived magnitude of attention and overall magnitude of aesthetic response were collected after listening to the music via a self-report questionnaire using a Likert-type scale (Diaz, 2013). Data from the CRDI revealed that the magnitude of aesthetic response was increased in the mindfulness group compared to the control group, although no differences were observed in the questionnaire data.…”

Mind fulness and Music: A Promising Subject of an Unmapped Field

“…The most directly related contribution is a research project by Frank Diaz [4,43], analyzing effects of mindfulness and flow in the audience. Using Continuous Response Digital Format (CRDI) and self-reports, music pieces were exposed to a selected sample audience.…”

“…At the same time, the audience is putting all their senses into the performance, listening and feeling what the performer has to express with intense attention. This experience of intense present-orientation and focus is compared in scientific literature with "peak experiences", or flow [4].…”

An exploration of mindfulness and its experiential benefits: Taiwanese backpackers in Australia

“…If people are attending to a perception of an experience with relaxed attention, they appear to be less judgmental and more accepting. In contrast, flow is considered to involve full concentration, goal orientation, absorption, and a high-intensity task focus (Diaz, 2011). Other authors have suggested that "concentration is the very root of judgment, character, and will" (Mikulas, 2011, p. 3)," and the tendency to "grasp for and cling to certain contents of the mind" (Mikulas, 2011, p. 1).…”