Modulating affective experience and emotional intelligence with loving kindness meditation and transcranial direct current stimulation: A pilot study

Abstract

Positive emotional perceptions and healthy emotional intelligence (EI) are important for social functioning. In this study, we investigated whether loving kindness meditation (LKM) combined with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would facilitate improvements in EI and changes in affective experience of visual stimuli. LKM has been shown to increase positive emotional experiences and we hypothesized that tDCS could enhance these effects. Eighty-seven undergraduates were randomly assigned to 30 minutes of LKM or a relaxation control recording with anodal tDCS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (left dlPFC) or right temporoparietal junction (right TPJ) at 0.1 or 2.0 milliamps. The primary outcomes were self-reported affect ratings of images from the International Affective Picture System and EI as measured by the Mayer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. Results indicated no effects of training on EI, and no main effects of LKM, electrode placement, or tDCS current strength on affect ratings. There was a significant interaction of electrode placement by meditation condition (p = 0.001), such that those assigned to LKM and right TPJ tDCS, regardless of current strength, rated neutral and positive images more positively after training. Results suggest that LKM may enhance positive affective experience.

Group membership dictates the neural correlates of social optimism biases

“…secondary somatosensory cortex) could be successfully linked with the magnitude of the desirability bias. That empathy could be the mechanism underlying the desirability bias for the mild out-group receives further support from the demonstration of causal links between the supramarginal gyrus and empathic responses in studies of transcranial magnetic stimulation (primary somatosensory cortex 110,111 , the right supramarginal gyrus 91,112,113 , motor cortex 92,114 ), and transcranial direct current stimulation (right supramarginal gyrus [115][116][117][118][119] and motor cortex 93 ).…”

Mindfulness-based training with transcranial direct current stimulation modulates neuronal resource allocation in working memory: A randomized pilot study with a nonequivalent control group

“…Recently, “E-meditation” has been proposed as a novel approach to potentially reduce the learning curve of intensive meditative sessions and to possibly simultaneously enhance psychological well-being ( Badran et al., 2017 ) and emotional intelligence and emotional valence ( Robinson et al., 2017 ). For example, Badran et al., 2017 conducted a cross-over double-blind pilot study, which combined 20 mins of guided meditation (audio recordings) with tDCS at 1.0 mA, 2.0 mA and a sham stimulation conditions.…”

“…(2017) found statistically non-significant differences in mood ratings, self-endorsements of mindfulness increased in the stimulation groups compared to sham. More recently, Robinson et al. (2017) conducted a pilot study designed to enhance emotional intelligence and valence using loving kindness meditation (LKM) and two different types of tDCS protocols.…”

Mindfulness‐Based Relapse Prevention and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Reduce Heavy Drinking: A Double‐Blind Sham‐Controlled Randomized Trial

“…Both MBRP and tDCS have independently shown benefits for treating AUD. Further, there is recent evidence from small pilot studies that tDCS of the frontal cortex can enhance the effects of mindfulness training, potentially by improving working memory (Hunter et al., ), increasing positive affective experience (Robinson et al., ), or increasing awareness (Badran et al., ). The combination of MBRP and tDCS may provide synergistic benefits to reducing symptoms of AUD greater than each can provide alone.…”