A new neuroimaging study has revealed that regular mindfulness meditation can make people more attuned to bodily sensations, but this increased openness does not actually sharpen sensory accuracy. The findings, published in the journal Psychophysiology, provide fresh insight into how mindfulness meditation alters perception by lowering the brain’s sensory gating—the threshold that regulates what bodily signals reach conscious awareness—raising intriguing questions for both mental health practitioners and individuals seeking emotional well-being through meditation (PsyPost).
This research is particularly significant in Thailand, where Buddhist-inspired mindfulness techniques have deep cultural roots and are increasingly promoted as stress-management tools in schools, hospitals, and workplaces. Many Thais are already familiar with the benefits of mindfulness for managing emotions and reducing anxiety. The study’s new findings offer a nuanced understanding of how these practices work—challenging common beliefs about their impact on sensory perception and self-awareness.
Researchers compared 31 long-term mindfulness meditators—many with years of daily practice—to 33 non-meditators who read regularly, matching both groups on age, gender, and other factors. Participants were exposed to a tactile signal-detection test in which a faint electric touch was randomly delivered, and their responses were measured both behaviorally and using electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor brain activity. After each trial, participants indicated whether they had felt a touch, even when sometimes none was delivered.
Contrary to popular belief that mindfulness enhances not only emotional but also sensory sensitivity, the meditators did not demonstrate an improved ability to accurately distinguish between real and illusory stimuli compared to the control group. Instead, researchers found meditators were more likely to say they had felt a touch, even when none had occurred. This pattern—a more “liberal” decision threshold—indicates that mindfulness practice makes people more open to interpreting subtle or ambiguous bodily cues as real sensations, rather than genuinely improving tactile discrimination.
Brainwave data supported this behavioral effect. Meditators exhibited lower prestimulus alpha-band activity in the region of the brain involved in touch processing, a marker associated with a more “open” or excitable sensory state. This neural pattern predicted a greater likelihood of subjects reporting a sensation—regardless of whether a stimulus was present. In expert terms, mindfulness appeared to lower sensory gating, turning the mind into a more receptive filter for even the most fleeting internal cues (PsyPost).
Crucially, this openness did not translate into greater sensitivity or precision. Meditators had more “hits,” but also more “false alarms”—indicating that their willingness to report a sensation increased, but their true discrimination ability remained unchanged. “We expected meditators to be more accurate, but accuracy was unchanged; only the bias moved,” explained the study’s lead author, a doctoral researcher at Georg-August University Göttingen. “That dissociation suggests the practice alters sensory gating or decision-making rather than raw perceptual acuity.”
The psychological profile of the meditators, measured using the MAIA-2 questionnaire, painted a picture of people who are not only more aware of their bodily states but also better at regulating emotional responses and less likely to suppress feelings. Meditators reported greater comfort with and attention to internal sensations, alongside fewer tendencies to ignore uncomfortable feelings or have difficulty describing emotions. These results echo prior studies showing mindfulness can strengthen emotional regulation, something increasingly recognized and integrated into Thai educational practices (Frontiers in Psychology).
However, there are important caveats. Because the study used a cross-sectional design, it cannot prove that meditation caused these shifts—it’s possible people already naturally attuned to their bodies are drawn to meditation in the first place. The relatively small sample size and the diversity of meditation traditions among the “expert” group mean future, larger longitudinal studies are needed for stronger conclusions.
The implications for Thailand are timely. As mental health problems and stress challenges rise, mindfulness-based practices are promoted in Thai public health, echoing global recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet the new findings highlight an often-overlooked nuance: increased awareness of bodily sensations through mindfulness does not guarantee improved sensory precision or “superior” body awareness. Instead, it cultivates a mental openness that may help individuals notice their internal states, supporting emotional regulation—but also perhaps risking hyper-awareness or misinterpretation of weak signals.
The research draws attention to a fundamental aspect of Buddhist mindfulness as traditionally practiced in Thailand: the goal is not to become a super-sensor, but rather to cultivate non-judgmental awareness and acceptance of the present moment. In meditation retreats across the country, practitioners are advised to notice sensations as they arise, without clinging or aversion—a philosophy mirrored in the research, where meditators were more willing to acknowledge weak bodily events, even if they were uncertain.
In the Thai context, where mindfulness is taught to students, patients, and office workers, this finding underscores the importance of proper guidance and expectations. Practitioners and instructors should be aware that heightened awareness does not equate to heightened accuracy, and mindfulness should be promoted as a tool for self-understanding and stress resilience, not as a means for boosting sensory powers. This is especially relevant as mindfulness programs expand into schools and community health settings, often supported by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education (Thai Ministry of Education).
Looking ahead, the researchers call for further work to clarify the impact of different mindfulness traditions, the neural mechanisms involved, and the real-world outcomes of changing sensory gating. Their results hint at the possibility that mindfulness may foster a less filtered, more receptive style of awareness—valuable for emotional insight, but potentially challenging for those struggling with anxiety or somatic symptoms.
For Thai readers considering mindfulness training, the practical lesson is to approach it with balanced expectations. Mindfulness can increase your awareness and acceptance of subtle bodily and emotional changes—a benefit for stress management and well-being as supported by local monastic teachings and modern psychological research—but don’t expect it to turn you into a superhuman sensor. If you notice ambiguous sensations or feelings, treat them with curiosity, not alarm. Seek guidance from experienced instructors, and remember the ultimate aim of mindfulness: to foster acceptance, equanimity, and compassionate awareness in the midst of everyday life.
For more information on mindfulness programs in Thailand or for mental health support, readers can access resources from the Department of Mental Health (dmh.go.th), and for a deeper dive into meditation’s effects on the brain, explore Thai-language summaries provided by academic institutions such as Mahidol University (Mahidol Mindfulness Research).