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.