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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents

Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents

Published on: September 1, 2011

Meditation and the startle response: a case study.

Robert W Levenson¹, Paul Ekman, Matthieu Ricard

¹Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA. boblev@socates.berkeley.edu

Emotion (Washington, D.C.)

|April 18, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study explored how two meditation types affect defensive responses in an experienced monk. Both meditation styles reduced startle responses, with open presence meditation showing a greater effect than focused meditation.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience
Contemplative Science

Background:

The defensive response is a primitive survival mechanism.
Meditation practices are known to modulate emotional and physiological responses.
Understanding how expert meditators regulate these responses offers insights into advanced attentional and emotional control.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the differential effects of open presence and focused meditation on the defensive startle response.
To examine the physiological and facial correlates of these responses in an expert meditator.
To compare meditation-induced modulation with distraction and unanticipated startle conditions.

Main Methods:

A single-subject design was employed with a Buddhist monk (40 years of experience).
The participant underwent acoustic startle stimuli under four conditions: open presence meditation, focused meditation, distraction, and unanticipated.
Facial and physiological measures were recorded and compared to a control group.

Main Results:

The participant's responses in the unanticipated condition were comparable to age-matched controls.
Both open presence and focused meditation significantly reduced physiological and facial defensive responses compared to the distraction condition.
Open presence meditation resulted in smaller defensive responses than focused meditation.

Conclusions:

Highly experienced meditation can significantly alter primitive defensive responses.
Open presence and focused meditation differentially modulate the magnitude of the startle response.
These findings suggest distinct neural and physiological pathways are engaged by different meditation techniques.