Studying interpersonal physiological attunement in experienced mindfulness practitioners

Cultivation of mindfulness, the nonjudgmental awareness of experiences in the present moment, produces profound beneficial effects on well-being. However, whether and how mindful presence affects one of the most fundamental fields of human prosperity – interpersonal relationships – is largely unknown. Relying on recent methodological advancements in research of interactions, the current proposal aims to conduct an in-depth investigation of the physiological processes that characterize social interactions in experienced meditators. We will measure continuous autonomic signals from dyads of expert meditators and non-practitioners in two naturalistic social setups, which were recently developed and validated in our lab. We will study physiological markers previously found to be associated with enhanced interpersonal attunement and study their effects on the quality of interaction. This proposal incorporates measurements of several physiological response systems during naturalistic interpersonal processes in expert meditators. As such it holds a potential to elucidate the core effects of mindful presence on real-life social interactions.